blindingtrust | For Altair

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For Altair

Ivy was in the Nexus once more. It had been a few weeks for her since she had last seen Altair in his home reality. She hadn't been in the Nexus proper either for quite some time.

In fact today she was back on her way through the Nexus dressed very casually. Jeans and a t-shirt. Not something she would normally wear but it was a very nice shirt. She was also plopped right under a tree in a thick grove of trees with one of her books in brail and a basket filled with food. Because she knew she would be too busy studying to go get food latter.

Her health had also improved greatly since they had last run into each other. And she was still quite serious about what she had said to him. But now she was seeing how complicated it would be to uh, court him. Especially with a few other people in her life that she was also interested in. Let’s not forget the problem with them being from two very different worlds. So Ivy is feeling very grumpy over the entire situation.

So maybe someone can fix her foul mood? Or at least join her in the Nexus for a while. She'll share her food.

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Altaïr never chose his own time when it came to arriving and leaving the Nexus. He had once wondered how many other "residents" had this same problem, but long since given up caring. The one good thing about it was that when he returned to his own world no time had passed from when he had left. The draw-back? He might have spent hours away and was usually awake the entire time. Thankfully it never seemed to occur on assassination days.

The assassin also hadn't been to the Nexus in quite a while. Almost three weeks now, he had almost gotten used to remaining in his own world. And although he hadn't forgotten Ivy, he was beginning to think it had only been cruel fate to have met her.

But all that changed the moment he picked up the stolen apple. He had no money on him at the time and assassins were not averse to pick-pocketing, although usually only knives from thugs. So when his vision suddenly swirled and his balance felt ready to throw him in all directions, Altaïr at first suspected God decided to punish him. Then everything righted itself and Altaïr blinked a few times to orient himself.

He found himself in the Nexus and let out a silent, resigned sigh. Well, it was better than holy retribution.

He walked a moment simply caught up in his own thoughts. The white-robed man was at least grateful for where he was placed. He had come to notice that it was only in the main section that he felt so utterly compelled to ask a question, no matter how mundane or important. Sometimes he hated that. He particularly didn't like the idea of being compelled to do anything.

Eventually Altaïr had the sense to look up and glance at his surroundings. This was a rural area, he noted, pleased with the lack of tall, disorienting buildings. Trees and greenery he could deal with just fine.

Fingering the apple idly, Altaïr headed towards the grove of trees nearby. Finally he took a cautious bite. As he chewed thoughtfully, he noticed someone else had decided to park themselves in the grove. He paused, not wanting to intrude. He squinted at the form from his vantage point far away though, and thought there was something familiar about it.

He decided to investigate.

As he neared the lone figure he thought he recognized the long locks of hair. If nothing else it were a female, but could he be so lucky...? He paused to watch her from a discreet distance, but close enough he could definitely conclude her identity. He finished off his apple before making any sort of move to get any closer.

Discarding the core, Altaïr tidied himself up before walking towards her. He walked silently and would not call out to her, wondering how close he could get before she noticed.

Ivy had been reading silently. Her mouth was even set into that hard line that it would normally go into if she was in a bad mood or feeling rather nueteral. But then something caught her attention and she lifted her head. Sniff. Sniff.

She could smell something familar. So now she sat and listened silently. Not just with her ears but with every part of her body. It was as if she was reaching out to pick up who was approaching.

Forty feet away. There he was.

"Hello? Who is it?" She's turned her head THAT way. Right towards him. She tilted her head again. "Altair?...Or is it sommeone else?"

Altaïr paused as she looked directly at him, and he almost called back to her when she said his name. Instead he hesitated only for a second before continuing forward without making a sound.

He approached within eight feet of her before he stopped and stood still. He folded his arms into the cuffs of his robes and stood there, silent and imposing, with his head down and tucked safely away in his hood.

That really bothered Ivy. But she reached in her basket and felt around for a container of foor. Then sniffed again.

"Well? If it's you Altair...You could join me," Ivy offered as she shut the book and put it to one side.

She opened the container and pulled out a small carrot to munch on. She was hungry after al. There was other food in the basket too. Heck, she had even brought wine, mostly for herself, for latter.

She...actually pondered trying to get Altair drunk. And having her way with him. But that might scare him off so she pushed that idea away quickly.

Altaïr let a smile grace his lips as she continued to function un-perturbed. He took two steps closer and knelt next to her. His curiosity got the better of him and he peered innocently into the basket. He thought about shifting around the items in there, but thought Ivy might not appreciate it.

Instead he allowed his gaze to shift to Ivy's hands and then her face. He watched her eat the carrot daintily and was amused.

Ivy listened to him move closer. Then giggled a little girlishly. Time to take advantage of her having food that's fresh. And more than enough for her.

"ltair. Would you like something to eat as well?" She should be good. But she's so very tempted to inch over and curl against him. He's here and...she did miss him. Even with other things going on in her life.

Altaïr raised a brow at her question. He tilted his head to the side as he watched her for a moment. Then he shifted his gaze back to the basket. The food did look good, and that apple had hardly been anything filling. He was tempted to give a sniff.

His hand reached tentatively into the basket to rummage through the items within. He glanced at all the different foods, noting how fresh they all seemed, and wondered if he really wanted something.

"Altir," she chided gentally. "If I didn't want o share, I wouldn't. Besides. There's more than enough."

She's goods at picking stuff up from him. "I like sharing with people I c...Like."

Altaïr glanced at her in amusement. He couldn't tell if she were embarrassed or vaguely annoyed with his silence. He did know something else though--he was having fun keeping silent.

Still, he couldn't play all day. It wasn't in his nature. He spoke softly when he finally did a moment later. "What're these?"

Altaïr had picked up a small container of various fruits. He was specifically pointing to a small blue fruit. The others he recognized vaguely from stands he had seen in Acre mostly. The Britons tended to love all sorts of sweet fruits, and berries were pretty common. This one he'd never seen before though. The color was off.

He glanced at Ivy and handed her the container, wondering if he should pick out the fruit he was indicating or let her open the box herself.

"Which one...?" She then thinks about it. Oh he wouldn't know what blueberries are.

"The blue round ones are called bklue berries. They're nice actually. And they riped fairly well. Taste great just to munch on. Some people bake them into pies. Thoes are decent. Just uh, kinda tart tasting to me."

She opens it up and selects one to pop into her mouth. See? It's tasty and she ATE it.

Altaïr eyes the fruit warily. Then he picks up one of the other darker colored ones and pops it into his mouth. He delights over the taste in his mouth and his eyes close in pleasure. He'd only had a few of these once in his lifetime.

"I like these," he says, handing her a blackberry.

She pops it in her mouth and tests it with her tongue then eats it happily. "I like them too. I enjoy most fruit so when I can I buy quite a bit. But because it doesn't keep forever..."

Yeah she has to eat it quickly. "Feel free to enjoy it. Please."

Altaïr nods and takes her up on her offer. He promptly steals all the blackberries and places them in his lap. He pops one in his mouth and his lids seem heavy as they fall half way. He's content.

Other than that, he stays quite and simply watches her with a curious eye.

She barely nticed that. But she's eating other peces of fruit. Then fished in the basket to find the crackers she packed.

Ahh salt and fiber. Though she ignores the fact she watching her.

Altaïr decided to steal one of those, too. It was an odd little piece of bread, he thought. But the salty taste was interesting, if it reminded him of the sea a bit. It was crunchy and hard, but not hard to chew like the stiff bread from his world. Munched happily on blackberries and crackers for a while.

Then he asked her a question. "Salt is a form of money in some places. How much were these goodies?"

"Hmmm. I'm not sure how it would convert in your terms. But I only put a handful from the package. I'd say seventy five cents. And Altair. Don't worry abput it. Honestly. I have mre than enough money of my own to live off comfortably as long as I am careful. And I am." She makes a grumpy noise.

Thugh now she shifts uncomfortably. How to approach this. "Altair. You know how to fight."

This is a statement. Not a question.

Altaïr blinked blankly at Ivy. He hadn't meant to sound worried for her monetary means, he simply asked a random question. And he had no clue what 'seventy-five cents' were. Before he could ask though, she brought up another topic.

He frowned warily in her direction. "Yes," he responded carefully. "I do."

Well one day she'll figure out some way to explain. It will be very difficult though. Mostly because she doesn't know everything.

"Oh good." She wonders how to proceed. "There is a practice...in the time and place I come from. A kind of courtship. It's referred to as dating. At one time I was 'dating' a man who is in a similar line of work as the one I am studying for. We...met through the Nexus. I became friends with a friend of his. A young man named Soma Cruz. His life...is complicated. A shadow f the man he could become from an...alternate world began to cause him a great deal of trouble. To fuel his power he used...magic. It turned people into monsters. And he used myself as the unwilling conduct. The knowledge on how to fight and kill them was left in my mind.

I eventually joined others in a...Pilgrimage of sorts to fight that man. To protect the innocent friend who didn't want to become like that other man." Ivy shakes her head. "I can still remember some things. For a while I could see again too. But...Altair. I would like to know how to defend myself again. I can remember enough but...Could you help me? I don't want to use it to kill but to defend myself."

And then she flushes. “I am no longer dating that man. The one who is friends with Mr. Cruz. Just so you know.”

To be quite frank, Altaïr got a bit lost somewhere in the middle of all that. It was a bit to handle, and Ivy kinda darted all over the place trying to vaguely explain things in an over-simplified manner anyway. But he thought he got the main part of what she was saying.

Then she had the add in that last part. He felt the heat in his cheeks rising, but he wasn't sure if it was from embarrassment due to their unusual affair or jealously. He shook his head clear.

"You're saying you want me... to teach you how to fight??" he says slowly, calmly, and carefully controlling his tone so as to give nothing of the way he felt away.

"I know how to fight. Sort of. The memory lingers and sometimes...I find myself reacting as if I were still like that. I...How to explain." She rubs her forehead. "Basically yes. I know a few things about defending myself. Remember how I knocked you on your back? I know how to do that. Would you help me though? Please."

He might be more jealous if he knew everything about that relationship.

Probably so. On the other hand, he also could possibly get so upset he'd simply leave right then and never talk to her again.

Altaïr nods slowly. "I... see." He thought for a moment, a frown marring his face. "Just defensive maneuvers?"

Which is one of the reasons why she won't bring it up. It would really hurt her feelings if that happened.

"Yes. I don't need anything else," she replies. She doesn't plan on looking for trouble.

Altaïr ponders on this. He doesn't want to cause another reaction like that time with the dragon... but he doesn't really like the idea of a woman fighting. In any sort of capacity.

Or the other hand, it was for her defense. And defense only. And he dearly liked her just the way she was, and would be quite upset if anything happened to her. Especially if he could have helped to prevent it in any sort of way.

With a sigh, Altaïr nodded again. "Very well."

She shouldn't talk about the other badthings that happened to her then. He might wisk her away and not let her go home. That would be bad. Maybe.

Ivy nods and gets another cracker. "Thank you." He might not want to start today. Her pants...look like they aren't made for the moving around they'd need to do. Ivy rarely wears jeans.

Altaïr watches Ivy for a moment as he thoughtfully chews on a blackberry. "When?" he asks simply, referring to when they were to do this. And on another note, "How?" As in, how do we get together when we want? Remember, he can't control his random appearances and disappearances.

She thinks about it. Thenremoves a perice of fried chicken that's still piping hot from a container and picks meat off of ir to bite into after she speaks.

"Do you remember that device I had in my coat? The thing with all the little buttons." She has a clever idea.

He tilts his head to the side curiously. "Yes," he responds.

"It...can tell me many things. For instance, when you're in the Nexus. I could have it alert me when you arrive," she explains. "I wish I could explain the science behind how it works. But science was never my strong point. I just know that if I input the right command it should do as I ask. How does that sound?"

Altaïr nods slowly. "That could work." He wonders why he doesn't try and procure himself one, but then shakes his head. He didn't need the extra worry. It was bad enough randomly disappearing from home as it was.

He plopped another fruit into his mouth and looked at Ivy idly. "We'll do that then. I can think of no better way. And... it will not interfere with my other... interests."

That made Ivy blush a little. That and she knew he was looking at her. So she, like a very shy young eoman--which she is, tucked some hair behind one ear. Then began slightly fustrated and pushed the rest of her hair back behind her shoulders. There. Out of the way for now.

Until a breeze came along anow...yeah. Her hair is stick up a little in some places and is totally in her face.

If Altaïr had been the type to laugh, he quite possibly would have at that moment. As it was he was slightly amused and allowed a thin smile to briefly grace his lips. Then he looked away and wiped the expression off his face.

Ivy grumbled softly but she was hiding a smile. Finally she reached back and held her hair in place in one large clump. With her other hand she searched her pockets and pulled out a simple hair tie and secured her hair back, away from her face.

Oh hey. If he's looking? He might see a bubbly scar on a part of her neck he didn't see that one time when he uh, ravished her neck.

Since he was the type to pay attention, of course he happened to notice. Unfortunately he wasn't the type to say anything. But his eyes did narrow, and he became even more quiet than usual.

Ivy could feelthat though. She just let her eyebrows arch up. Then a hand trailed right up to her neck. Crap. "...Angry puppy."

Ivy obviously doesn't want to talk about it she could be pressed to talk about it.

Altaïr tilted his head to the side. "Angry puppy?" he asked curiously. He gave an odd little twist of his mouth.

Ivy felt herself blush. Because of god was this embarrassing. "Actually. I got poisoned here. There was a robbery at a place where people take care of their finances."

A bank.

"They needed a distraction to get away from the guards. So they used a highly dangerous toxin that they had gotten a hold of. The...stabbed me. I was in their way at the time. I didn't mean to. I tried moving but one of them grabbed me."

And now her hands are shaking again. Just like after she woke up the second time. So Ivy takes a breath of air in and lets it out. The fear is gone again.

Altaïr notes her emotional ties to the experience as he watches her like a hawk. He reaches out and does the only thing he knows is a sure-fire way to comfort her: he lightly caresses her cheek.

"It's okay," he whispers in that husky tone of his, "It's over." He feels his body heat rise at the sudden emotions that pour through him. He doesn't want harm to ever come to her. He feels more resolved than before to teach her. He will protect her.

Ivy felt her control slip again. Because she had been so focused on taking care of someone else that she hadn't let it get to her back then. She hadn't let them take care of her and the comfort she got now was nice and made her feel strange all at the same time.

Her mouth twitches a bit and she has no idea what to say. She dips her head and wishes instead that she hadn't tied her hair back. Then she could have hidden this for longer and she'd have her hair to hide behind. In a way she's unintentionally emotionally withdrawing because she doesn't know how to deal with this.

Altaïr's eyes narrow at Ivy. On the one hand he feels for her deeply, on the other he really hates dealing with emotions. His own confuse and annoy him well enough on their own.

With a small sigh Altaïr removes himself from his spot and drags himself over to Ivy's side. He touches her shoulder hesitantly.

Ivy almost leapt out of her skin. She had been prepared for him to ignore her retreating emotionally. Because no one ever really had witnessed this or would have approached her on it.

Damn.

She goes even more still like a statue. "Yeah?" But she spoke. Better than her making an excuse to leave.

"You feel like a startled rabbit--ready to bolt at any moment. Relax." He whispers the last word into her ear. Then he positions himself behind her and begins to message her tightened shoulders.

Ivy's mouth drops open a bit. This was very weird! Why was he doing this?

It made no sense. "..Wh.." The words died in her mouth. Oh that felt good. She might just bask a bit instead of wanting to run away.

Finally a very womanly chuckles come right out of her throat. "So. Who's courting who?"

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For Altair

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