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[blindingtrust]

Ivy had been on her way back from a somewhat high brow dinner she had been invited to. So her hair was done up nicely and she was wearing white to throw people off balance a little. Even the shawl wrapped around her shoulders was white and very thin like a spider's web.

But suddenly she isn't in Gotham. She frowns and sniffs the air. This must be the Nexus. So she keeps walking and stops when she hears a loud rumble. Crap. She starts backing up and feels something drop right behind her. A tail of some kind?

"Why hello, miss," a loud somehow cultured voice says from somewhere above her. "I hope you don't mind but I do enjoy the company."

"I---" Oh she does mind. But now she's too nervous to say anything. That sounds like a dragon. And suddenly she’s very nervous and wants to get away now!

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[bladeinthecrowd.livejournal.com]

Altaїr had been running across rooftops, swiftly out-maneuvering guards when their shouts randomly decided to fade away as if he had traveled very, very far away from them in no time at all. His steps began to slow when the recent rooftop suddenly became the last in a long line that had stretched out far ahead of him only seconds ago. He stopped abruptly, teetering on the edge of the roof trying to regain his balance. Altaїr managed just that and took a thankful step backward.

He was alone on the roof. He glanced over his shoulder and the guards who had once been calling out for his blood were long gone. The place was deserted. The buildings were different from the ones he remembered running over. His head snapped back to the front and he looked for an easy way down.

There was a tree nearby and the Assassin leapt at it with a graceful movement. His feet hit the trunk and he bounced off, pushing with his powerful legs off it like a rappeller would. A second later he landed on the ground in a crouch.

He inspected the dirt beneath him; it's grit and consistency was different from what it should have been. Everything was different. Altaїr's only viable conclusion: he was in the Nexus.

But if that were true, he'd never been to this part of the grand place before. It was usual. Similar to his home, yet obviously and completely different.

Altaїr stood and glanced around. His neck craned backwards as he searched the skies for a familiar shadow. But the eagle was not there to show him the way. Before he had the chance to look back down at the ground an unusual sound came to his ears. It sounds vaguely like... flapping. Like the flapping of wings. Very large, leathery wings.

Altaїr swept his eyes across the sky again. Just before the large figure slipped beyond his sight beneath the shadow of trees in the distance, Altaїr spotted it. It was huge. And it looked menacing.

Beyond all reasoning, Altaїr began to move towards where the creature had come down for a landing. He had no idea why he would do such a thing. Curiosity maybe. Either way, his racing footsteps were completely silent as he began making his way towards the large creature.

[blindingtrust.livejournal.com]

The dragn seemed content to keep Ivy caged in the large loops his sizeable tail had created. His scales are very dark and along his back they seem to be armor like. But Ivy wouldn't know this. The dragon is getting some ammusement by her feeling her way around. Her cane for the moment is missing.

"Ah, I see miss. You are blind."

"Yes," Ivy hisses. "Let me go. Please?"

The dragon snorts smoke curling outwards as he does so. "No. I think I'll keep you. You're quite lovely dressed like that. And I do like pretty things."

Ivy feels her whole ody stiffen. Even her heart stills and she decides she might as well shout. "Someone, help!"

The dragon rumbles in amusement touching her lightly with a claw. "Oh don't worry. I won't eat you, pretty. Just keep you for a few weeks. I'll even feed you."

[bladeinthecrowd.livejournal.com]

Altaїr slows as he nears the beast. He can barely see it from his vantage point, but he can definitely hear it. Then he hears something else, another voice, a voice he recognizes. Before he can register his own thoughts, Altaїr sprints forward without hesitation.

And stops abruptly at the sight of what his imagination can only gasp in awe as being a dragon. The big, scaly creature could only be that which was only mentioned in fairy tales where he was from. Uncertain, he ducks behind cover before the creature spots him.

But if that was who he thought it was...

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Finally Ivy stops moving around. She thinks it might be pointess to try escaping from this creature. Not that she could anyways. Her cabe is now missing.

"Why do you want me anyways," she finally asks tiling her head up towards where she think's the beast's face is.

The dragon rumbles deeply because he's still very ammused. He hasn't yet noticed Altair which might be good. "Why I am bored, dear child. I thought that having some charming company would entertain me."

Ivy snorts in a way that doen't sound lady-like at all. "I'm not charming, you should know. I'm actually not very good company either for the elderly." She's hoping to take a good jab at this dragon's ego. If it has one. And she isn't even sure it is a dragon. The whole being blind thing gets in the way of her being in awe of this situation. Right mnow she's sort of annoyed.

[bladeinthecrowd.livejournal.com]

Now Altaїr was sure he recognized that voice. It had to be Ivy. What was she doing here? Well, at least that settled the fact that he was in the Nexus. But now he had to find some way to deal with the dragon. She sounded annoyed; at least he knew it wasn't some odd friend. That's all he needed--to attack a giant beast only to find out it was his girl's Ivy's pet.

Altaїr knew no better way to deal with a fiend than to simply kill it. So, taking a careful aim, he reluctantly relinquishes his cover as he draws a small blade. The reptile's hide was no doubt thicker than what he could pierce therefore he would aim at an obvious weak spot: the beast's eye.

The throw was lightning quick, and Altaїr ducked back behind cover before it even hit its mark. Whether it hit or not the distraction it would provide was already in place. (He wasn't bad enough of aim to actually miss his target completely even if it didn't hit the eye.) Now he just had to find Ivy.

His best guess was the circle of tail wrapped in a perfect coil. For one, it seemed too perfect for just a bit of relaxation. Second, her voice had sounded muffled if he had heard correctly. And it just seemed plausible for some reason. So that's where he'd look first.

The nearby tree was useful in this endeavor. He climbed high enough to look over the coiled tail, spotted what he was looking for, and then made a leap into the hole.

Well... that was brilliant. Attack the giant beast, then leap right into its line of sight. What next, oh wise and mighty Assassin? Jump into its open jaws?

If Altaїr had the right of mind to think, those quite possibly would have been his thoughts. As it was, he was too into battle mode. His sword was drawn and he roughly shoved Ivy behind him for the minute protection it would provide.

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It was a good thing for Ivy that the dragon had given her plenty of room to move around in. She was still shocked because she hadn't heard anything happen until she heard the dragon move and hiss loudly. Apparently it had been forced to duck away from something.

"What's going on," Ivy calls out feeling very vulnerable without her cane.

Normally the dragon would have been very polite. Maybe even nice. The dragon though has decided to eat Altair. Or at least raise one talon to slap him silly for throwing a knife at him. Never mind the pretty young lady. Hit the other human in white.

[bladeinthecrowd.livejournal.com]

Altaїr saw the claw coming. Lord, was it a large claw. He pushes Ivy one way, and jumps the opposite. He didn't want the dragon to miss him and hit Ivy by mistake. Still, he felt vaguely bad for pushing her like that.

He ran to the nearest "wall" of tail and slashed at it once with his long sword. Just as a test.

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Ivy yelped and stumbled twice before ended up on her back. Which really wasn't a bad thing for her. Altair slashing the tail argivated the dragon a great deal.

The dragon bellowed louddly and attempted to try and bite at Altair. It really was good that Ivy was on her bak otherwise she might have gotten thrown by the dragon lunging to bite Altair. There isn't enough room for her to remain standing, Altair to stand, and for the dragon's head in that space.

[bladeinthecrowd.livejournal.com]

Altaїr was momentarily distracted by Ivy's yelp, even though it was simply a response from his own actions, and didn't have time to properly duck and roll to dodge. Instead his eyes grew wide as the dragon's head neared and he ended up crouched low as his sword slashed the inside of the beast's mouth.

And the Assassin decided then and there, as he was practically being eaten by the monster, that he really needed more space to move around in.

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Ivy just stays very still because she can feel movement above her. But then she feels air beside her. That's because the dragon lifted it's tail to rear back better.

"Son of a--" The dragon begins to curse loudly. It had been hurt by what Altair had done. Not greatly but enough to have the dragon thrash in pain. Ivy feels around for her cane and tries to duck out of the tail coil now and starts to stumble away. For now the dragon is choosing to ignore her but the dragon's heavy tail had landed on her cane so now it's begining to fall apart. Basicly while Ivy got away she didn't go too far.

[bladeinthecrowd.livejournal.com]

Altaїr stole another glance Ivy's way while the dragon was busy rearing. A brief smile stole his lips before he turned back to his fight. Emboldened by Ivy's pseudo escape, Altaїr continued his attack.

From afar. Maybe he could get a little more distance between the dragon and Ivy. Throwing two more knives the beast's direction, Altaїr took off in the opposite direction from Ivy. He didn't go far before he turned back around and threw another pair of daggers.

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The dragon gets slashed on the snout by the first pair. It hurts enough for the drgon to want to either attack or flee. The second pair though causes him a bit more of an injury.

Hes old for a reason. He isn't stupid. One girl isn't worth this much trouble. So the dragon quickly flewes leaing behind three out of the four daggers.

Ivy though is now edging back towards a tree. The noise has her a little more than freaked out. Plus she hasn't figured out who her rescuer is yet. Altair might get bobped with her cane if he doesn't annopunce who he is first if he goes near Ivy.

[bladeinthecrowd.livejournal.com]

Altaїr stares in disbelief as the dragon actually flies away. He hadn't expected the fight to end so quickly. Maybe he had just startled the creature too much right now. He got the faint feeling that if this had been for real, the fight would have either been much longer, or a lot more unhealthy for himself.

Unfortunately for the Assassin, Altaїr's natural gait was as quiet as a cat's prowl. It didn't even occur to him that he should perhaps warn Ivy of his approach either. He walked up to her and silently placed a gentle hand on her elbow.

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He has so much to learn. Really because Ivy's reaction isn't like how it should be for anormal blind woman. She can defend herself a little. This also means that right away she's going to try smacking Altair in the forehead with her cane.

And try tripping him. Because she isn't thinking this is a friend. She's still thinking about the big scary threat that had almost kidnapped her.

[bladeinthecrowd.livejournal.com]

And this Altaїr did not expect. He was lucky enough that the blow to his head was quite obvious enough that even his delayed reaction time could allow him to dodge it. But the trip up? He didn't stand a stance.

With an 'oof!' sound the Assassin landed heavily on his back. His arms automatically lifted to protect his head and upper body, but beneath the automatic response he called out to the startled woman. "Ivy!"

[blindingtrust.livejournal.com]

Ivy had been about to run. Because that would have been the smartest thing for her to do. Get away from the threat as quickly as she could.

She stopped though when she heard Altair. That has her feel a little embaressed. "Altair? It was...Oh! I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get you on your back. I didn't know who you were and when you grabbed my arm I jst well. Reacted."

She pauses listening to the sounds around her. They appear to be safe. "Are you ok? Did I hurt you," concern is coloring her words right now. She sounds much less formal and softer smehow.

Then again her clothing might also make her sound different. Ivy is leaning over Altair now to check on him. And well, Ivy has forgotten that her dress isn't made for her to do that. Great this is going to be embaressing.

[bladeinthecrowd.livejournal.com]

Altaїr shakes his head to clear it as he props himself up with one hand. The other holds his head; he wonders if perhaps he hit it when he went down. "I'm fine," he responds. Then he looks up.

His eyes didn't quite make it all the way however. He blushes furiously as he ducks his head away. He waves Ivy back with one hand and helps himself to stand with the other. Now standing, he turns back to gaze at all of Ivy.

He frowns. "What are you wearing?" he hadn't meant for his voice to sound so cruel. Nor was that the original question on his lips. But enough was enough, and finally Altaїr couldn't ignore the tiny things, rather than focus on the important ones.

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She had moved when she figured out he had needed some room to stand. Now though she was blushing because of how he had said that. Like it was wrong.

"A dress. I had been at a formal event anbd was returning home." She rowns. The shawl she had was missng. It's acrually out whee she had tripped on the ground. "Altair. You and I come from two very different places. I usually don't dress like this but this is still a fairly modest dress for wereI come from."

She won't say when because that won't help anything.

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His frown deepens as he inspects her and he begins to do a pacing thing where he walks a few steps, turns and walks back, then stops briefly to stare. He does this a few times before stopping to respond.

"Different," he repeats the word as if it's from some alien tongue that he just can't grasp. "Different is hardly the word I would use." And his voice isn't any kinder yet. "That is not modest. Modest is..." but he trails off, and the Nexus just doesn't seem to see the need to translate the muttered curses slipping out in his native tongue. (He speaks English while here, but the Nexus still has to translate it for the residents. It's old, old English.)

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Ivy just feels like her blood is going between sub zero and burning hot like the sun temprature wise. She's retty angry that he's reacting like this. Oh. It's just so typical for...for a man to react like that.
This! This is why she doesn't date much. People just jumping ahead of themselves. It made her so angry.

"Altair. Thank you for...rescuing me. I...should go." She starts back towards that clearing to try and locate her shawl. Once she does she makes every effort to get grass and leaves from it and carefully drapes it around her shoulders. But she has a small problem. She has no idea which way she should stomp off and she's still not sure where she is. Altair should be able to catch up with her. She didn't go very far.

[bladeinthecrowd.livejournal.com]

This caused the Assassin's head to snap up. He looked into her eyes, or the place where her eyes should have been, but instead got the dark mirrored view of himself from the thing he had found out were called sunglasses. He shook his head vigorously and as if a switch had been thrown he came back to his senses.

But she had already stalked off by then. He startled at that, and turned to find where she had gone. At least she hadn't gotten far.

Altaїr raced up to Ivy and put himself in front of her. He held on to her elbow lightly and forced her to stop and face him. At first he wondered what he would say to reconcile her. Then he just spoke the words that came to him first. "I am sorry. I did not know what I spoke. It has been odd adjusting to this strange place." His head ducks low and then back up to stare at her intently. "But that does not forgive my stinging words. I should not have said what I did no matter what the circumstances. And all I can offer you is more words. To tell you that I am truly sorry." A reddened blush creeps onto his cheeks, but the intensity of his stare does not falter.

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Ivy had been prepared to be very angry. To emotionally distance herself from him. But he had to go an make an effort to say he was sorry. It was both sweet and maddening at the same time. It also made her melt a little because he hadn't let her walk away from him like she wanted to.

But she still had to set him straight right now. Make sure he understood this. "Altair. You're not my father, I'm not your wife nor are you my lover who someone who escorts me to scoal gatherings as a friend...or something else. You...." The words just fumble around in her for a moment like a fish flopping on shore. "You really don't have a say in what I wear. Hell. Mt father hasn't tried telling me what to wear since I was sixteen."

She goes a little stiff and stands up straighter. "I understand you're sorry. I appericate the applogy. Just don't think you can do that again. Even if I ever get married the man unlucky enough to marry me won't be able to tell me what I can wear."

Ivy honestly thinks she won't have time for that. She'll be too busy.

[bladeinthecrowd.livejournal.com]

Altaїr felt a very distinctive sinking feeling in his chest when he heard those words come out of Ivy's mouth. The air in his lungs seemed to evaporate and the breath on his lips froze. Swallowing the hard lump in his throat, Altaїr blinked slowly.

He was stunned. That was an awfully harsh way to be spoken to. And not only that, but it came from a woman. Yet Altaїr's gaze didn't waver, and he tried his damnedest to keep his stare on her eyes, where most considered to be a window into the soul. It was hard with those damn sunglasses in the way.

Hesitantly at first, then with a stubborn resolve of his own, Altaїr reached up and removed the glasses without permission. Finally, with Ivy's eyes their to remind him of their first meeting, of the way he undoubtedly felt now that he took the time to realize it, Altaїr knew exactly what his response to be.

"I don't care what you're wearing, nor will I ever." He wants to move her closer, and he even manages to take a hesitant step forward. "I only care to hope that you won't ever have another reason to walk away from me."

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Of course that wasn't the bes thing to do. Taking her sunglasses away. Her jaw drops a little. Because he just took them! No warning! Right in her space and now they're gone and she feels naked. He can see her eyes!

Then he has to speak again. Damn it because she doesn't know how she should be reacting. Should she slap the hell out of his hands? She has no idea. And oh now she starts to blush. "We can't predict the future. Our lives are very different."

She'll shift very nervously now. She feels far too naked. "Please give me my sunglasses back."

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"Why?" is his first reaction. Truly, he just doesn't understand her need for them. He doesn't see anything wrong with her eyes, it's as simple as that. Yes, they don't actually work, but he hardly sees the reasoning behind hiding them just for that reason.

His arm with the sunglasses in his hand slinks back behind his back and he takes another step forward, putting them very close together. They're not quite touching just yet, but as Altaїr's head dips low so that he can continue looking at her, Ivy can more than likely feel his breath on her cheek.

"Why do you need them? You are much more beautiful without them." His head tilts slightly to the side. "And no matter how different our lives are, this... thing... between us won't just disappear."

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"I feel safe with them on. I know people can't stare at my eyes if something's covering them," she explains. But right now her voice is hitching little by little. She needs them back. She seriously feels naked without them.

She shivers alittle. She doesn't mean to but she's feeling high strung and he has her sunglasses plus he's really close.

But now for the humerously innocent moment of the day take number 23657. "What...thing?" Buzzah?

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Altaїr is puzzled by her reaction, and oh if she could see the look on his face right about now! It's priceless, and insanely adorable. He shifts uncomfortably. Was he wrong? He blushes heatedly, entirely embarrassed to his core.

Instead of answering her though, or simply giving her back her sunglasses, he does something both completely random and rather odd. Reaching up with his other hand, Altaїr brushes his fingertips gently across her eyes, forcing the lids shut and then repeating the action again soothingly. Then his hand, turned sideways as to fit, rests softly atop her eyes, effectively hiding them from sight again.

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Ivy wonders deep down if he is a Master of Drunken Assassination. She has no idea really but this is just really strange. Comforting but strange.

But she'll also lean forward. Hey Altair have an Ivy who is no longer ready to verbally rip your head off. "You are a very strange man."

He really is.

[bladeinthecrowd.livejournal.com]

Altaїr looks down at her with an unusual glint of tenderness in his eyes. "I can work with that," he responds.

With her seemingly calm now, the master assassin takes the opportunity to close the gap glaringly keeping them apart. As their bodies touch his hand with the sunglasses reaches around to rest lightly across her back just above her waist, holding her to him. His other hand remains covering her eyes.

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She inds this is very comfortable. Odd but comfortable because now she doesn't have to worry about falling. Altair won't let her.

"So. What's this 'thing' beween us?" She'd love to tease about her dress being between them. But uh, yeah no breaking his brain or joking like that.

[bladeinthecrowd.livejournal.com]

Altaїr had been hoping to avoid that little question. He shifts uncomfortably for a second and then forces himself to be still. No reason to alarm Ivy, or make her feel uncomfortable through his touch.

"It's... whatever this is," he says hesitantly. "I'm not really certain, to be truthful."

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"Oh." That was too...simple.

Ivy just blushes more. Then on an impluse removes his hand from her eyes and places a soft kiss at the palm of his hand and then a quick very shy kiss to his jaw lie.

Now she's blushing brightly and rocking on her heels a bit. That was uh, bold. Right. No dying from being shy it's not allowed.

[bladeinthecrowd.livejournal.com]

Altaїr's first reaction is no reaction at all. He's shocked; well, that's an understatement. He stiffens and his breath catches in his throat. After a long moment he relearns how to breath and takes a large, much needed gasp of air. He blows it out slowly.

He watches her carefully. He notices her cute little blush. He catches her movements with his hand, and he holds her a bit more tightly to make sure she doesn't fall.

He flexes the kissed hand with a thoughtful expression. Was that right? To allow her to kiss such a blood-soaked hand? He had this vague notion of damnation for that, swayed a little himself.

Still, he knew now more than ever what he wanted. He relaxes completely, and his head dips lower to her face. He brushes his cheek against hers. He turns his head so that his lips hover precariously close to her skin. His breath caresses her as he follows her cheekbone down to her neck.

Here he hesitates.

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Oh for all she understands about him he has that much more to learn about her. She hides things way about herself. Though she still is innocent when it comes to other people's lives. She has never killed a person or really hurt them in physically in anger.

Ivy had thought he was going to kiss her on the mouth. That wouldn't have bothered her at all. But it didn't happen and she felt his cheek brush against her's. Now her heart is thumping because she knows he's going to do something and for a moment she swore the good kind of fire was sparking in her blood. That hadn't happened in a very long time.

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Though her complete opposite, it would quite possibly surprise her to learn all the little intricacies of Altaïr. He wasn't all fight and kill. There was the softer side to his purpose in life. But that was for another time.

At the moment Altaïr was content to grab what he could and hold on tight. Thankfully not literally. His mouth hovered over Ivy's skin with a reluctance practically palpable in the air. But he waited even so.

His head ducked lower, following her neckline down to her shoulders. There he hesitated again, and after a long moment of simply breathing he kissed her skin lightly at the soft area just between shoulder and neck.

The hand she had kissed earlier wrapped itself around her hand and started to massage it gently. His lips worked their way back up her neck and planted a shy kiss at the corner of her mouth.

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Ivy made a soft noise. It was a happy one because while she was surprised it was the good kind. Not the kind that would end with her ting to throw Altair on the ground and fleeing.

Of course once his mouth meets the corner of hers she reaches over with her free hand to touch the side of his face then presses a warm kiss to his mouth. The kind that could almost be mistaken for attempting to suck his soul out. But she isn't trying to, really. This is his fault. Seriously.

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Altaïr is surprised only really by the fierceness of the kiss. He had never quite realized the female creature could be so... aggressive. He briefly wondered if the fact of Ivy being just so *different* from most women in his world was what caused him to be so attracted to her.

It takes little time for the Assassin to respond to her kiss with his own pressing back. His hold on her only tightens as he tries desperately to get closer to their already touching bodies.

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Well Ivy isn't a passive creature. When she wants something she tends to go for it.

Ivy is more than happy to get as close as she can to him. A small part of her mind hopes that they don't knock each other over then again, she wouldn't mind that too much.