Morning Rountine (for bladeinthecrowd

[blindingtrust]

First in the very early part of the morning Ivy surely would have been heard. Ivy didn't sleep very well as a rule. She also didn't like it to be mentioned by anyone. There were rare instances in which she slept well and last night was not that night. Soon following would have been the sounds of Ivy in the bathroom showering. The pipes would have made a gentle gurgling no matter what happened. This was just very normal.

Finally Ivy would be found in her kitchen. She had put on the coffee mostly for her own sake. She was in no mood to not have it around. But she was going to attempt to have things out to eat. She thought it would help with her feeling so tired. That and she still wasn't sure what Altair was actually eating. So she was planning to rinse off some fruit to push his way. And maybe fix some oat meal. She figured it was the least she could do after how long last night had been. She also suspects that due to how Altair is he may not have slept well either. The walls need to be thicker or something Ivy decides blandly.

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[bladeinthecrowd.livejournal.com]

Contrary to Ivy's belief, Altaїr slept just fine last night. He had to--else the job would have driven him insane years ago haunting him in his dreams. But no, he had gotten over that quick, as all top Assassins must. It was either that or break. Or remain a lesser informant Hashshashin for the rest of one's days.

So yes, Altaїr had slept just fine. But that didn't necessarily mean his night before was peaceful, nor that waking this morning was anything of the sort either.

The Assassin woke immediately to the sound of Ivy moving through the house. The dull, rhythmic gurgle of the water almost put him back to sleep, but he arose from the bed before that could happen. He preformed his usual morning bedroom routine then placed himself at the window for a long, thoughtful stare out the window.

It was only after Ivy was in the kitchen fixing breakfast that Altaїr decided to move again. He let his nose guide him to the room even though he had already memorized the entire house from top to bottom in his short stay so far. He stopped in the doorway and watched the blind woman move with ease around her surroundings.

[blindingtrust.livejournal.com]

Ivy wouldn't know what to think of that really. In that regard Ivy was very ignorant of what Altair's life is like on a day to day basis even if she can guess at it.

Ivy looked very comfortable in the kitchen. She was careful though. She was heating up a kettle of water on the stove. The stove top was something she made herself aware of by flexing her hand above the heat. Just to be sure of course. There was still a fair distance between the heat source and her hand.

She wasn't yet aware of Altair's presence in the door way. Otherwise she probably would have stopped to offer him a cup of coffee. Though the moment she takes a sip from her freshly poured mug Ivy hums almost cheerily under her breath.

[bladeinthecrowd.livejournal.com]

Altaїr doesn't have it within him to clear his throat and interrupt her just yet. He really didn't want to bother with anything this day, even if he knew he would have to. And that he would feel horrible if he didn't. It was a duty he could not escape. Using every waking hour for something useful, something purposeful.

Still, the morning was relatively young and he was less useful in this city during the day as opposed to anywhere else. He could afford a few minutes of nothingness. Or, barring that, he could simply take in the view while his mind wandered over more useful tidbits.

[blindingtrust.livejournal.com]

Ivy takes the time to push her hair away from her neck for the moment. She frowns slightly and sets her coffee down while listening to the house so to speak.

"Mmm, I guess he's not up yet," Ivy mutters to herself. That's when the phone starts to ring startling her out of her musings.

Ivy let out an annoyed noise and went to answer the phone. "Yes? Oh. Good morning Joesph. Oh yes, I'm doing fine."

Ivy listened to her friend. "Joesph. It's fine. Really. I'm fine. Stop fussing please. You're like a giant fussy mother hen you know? Seriously. What will people think?"

Yeah. She's going to try teasing her friend. And Altair should be familiar with phones now, right?

[bladeinthecrowd.livejournal.com]

Altaïr watches Ivy for another moment, almost startled into jumping at the sound of the irritating chirp of the phone. He barely understood the device and he already despised it. But Altaïr was too used to other things startling him to allow himself the movement; things like that could give one's life away in his line of work.

He remained perfectly still for a moment more as he allowed his heart to return to normal, and tried not to scowl at his own reaction.

He turned his attention to Ivy's words as she began to speak. The Assassin moved forward ever-so-slightly in her direction out of simple curiosity.

[blindingtrust.livejournal.com]

He really shouldn't be introduced to the very random ringtones on Ivy's cell phone then. That's much worse so Ivy can identify who is calling her. It's handy for her.

"What? Here? N-no. That's a bad idea. I have...company."

For a moment Ivy goes very quite and very still. Her face turns a bright embarrassed red. "Joesph!" There is even flailing. "That's not...I can't hear this. I can't. If you don't stop I swear I'll...Yes. I'm hanging up now Joesph."

And she does. Then just squirms again. Why must her friends torment her?

[bladeinthecrowd.livejournal.com]

Altaïr simply blinks and, a moment later, frowns in her direction. Or more accurately, at the phone's direction. He glances at Ivy.

"What did he say?" he asked bluntly.

[blindingtrust.livejournal.com]

Ivy pauses in her flailing movements. Then coughs just a little bit.

"It's not important really. He was just teasing me. Apparently he thinks he knows everything," Ivy says blandly. She's at least not blushing now. "He's like an annoying older brother really."

[bladeinthecrowd.livejournal.com]

Altaïr reacts only slightly; his head raises slightly and then returns to its normal direction a moment later. He sees no point in pursuing further despite his own wants.

"Fine."

[blindingtrust.livejournal.com]

Ivy wasn't surprised at all by this. Altair had never really pushed her for information except for when she had been hurt.

"Are you hungry? I was making breakfast," Ivy offers suddenly. It was just a quick subject change. "There's coffee?"

[bladeinthecrowd.livejournal.com]

Altaïr glanced at the various things going on in the kitchen. "Food would be nice. And... what's coffee again?" he asks with a slight frown.

[blindingtrust.livejournal.com]

Ivy goes to start fetching him food. A bowl of some of the fresh fruit and a bowl of still pretty warm oat meal.

Ivy pauses then reminds herself he might not be aware of what coffee is. At least not the kind of coffee Ivy drinks. "It's a drink brewed from ground beans. It's tasty."

No Ivy isn't crazy. Altair would be familiar with a different form of coffee. Not drip coffee.

[bladeinthecrowd.livejournal.com]

Altaïr tilts his head to the side at the concept of coffee. It sounded vaguely familiar at least. He shrugged. "No thanks. Juice?" he asks instead.

Before she can bother, he heads for the table where she sets the food down. He sits in a highly tense perch upon a chair and eyes the various food. He sniffs at the oatmeal. He grabs a piece of food with one hand while his other fishes for a spoon to eat the mushy meal with.

[blindingtrust.livejournal.com]

Ivy has to go right into her refrigerator to find him some juice. It doesn't help she has to find him a clean glass as well. It's a good thing Ivy keeps things organized in her kitchen. She carries over her own mug of coffee an leaves him with his glass of juice and his food as she sits with her own meal.

Finally one of the dogs wanders in. Ivy scowls just a little when Cedric puts his head on her knees. "Cedric. Down."

And he wont listen. He wants food. "I already fed you, boy."

Her food even if it's yucky fruit.

[bladeinthecrowd.livejournal.com]

Altaïr bites into the crisp fruit and munches on it while he swirls the spoon idly in the bowl of mush. After the fruit has gone down he starts to chase it with a spoonful of oatmeal when he pauses to glare at the dog. He lowers the spoon and lifts his head in a more appropriate glaring position.

After a moment he shifts his leg to nudge the dog with his foot. "Move," he commands the dog. And with a small whine, more annoyance than "hurt," Cedric removes his head from Ivy's lap. But doesn't particularly go anywhere.

Altaïr goes back to his food.

[blindingtrust.livejournal.com]

Ivy tilted her head but said nothing. She went back to eating without a word to Altair. It didn't bother her that he had ordered fuzz head around.

The phone rings again and Ivy sighs deeply. She gets up to answer the phone. "Who is it?"

Ivy laughs then shakes her head. "All right. Thanks Joe. At least I won't be the only one of our group in that class. James told me he'll be taking it too. Bridgette is of course in another class though. You should talk to her."

There's a long pause and Ivy just snorts. "Why yes I am doing 'that thing'. Now don't you have better things to do, Joe?" Ivy's face brightens with an amused grin. "I thought so. Listen, I need to ask you about something. Just not right now. I don't have enough coffee in my system to word it just right. Thanks...bye."

Ivy shakes her head and hangs up the coffee. She does take the time to yawn and shake her head. Ivy is still very tired. She's just good at trying to cover it up.

[bladeinthecrowd.livejournal.com]

Altaïr shows his interest by watching Ivy as she talks on the phone. He continues to eat until she hangs up the phone for a second time. His eyes narrow, but he has another topic to discuss and he doesn't want to be distracted again.

"Where did you go last night? After... the club. You should have gone straight home, stayed there." He didn't sound upset necessarily, but neither did he said particularly swell about the idea.

[blindingtrust.livejournal.com]

"Do you remember how I was lured down there in the first place? I...imagine you over heard enough to know how," Ivy inquires carefully. She doesn't wish to upset him in any way. But she's going to have to explain about Joe as much as she can.

And how he had been used against her.

[bladeinthecrowd.livejournal.com]

Altaïr stares at Ivy with a slight frown for a moment. He shakes his head, a replay of the memory from last night in his mind's eye revealing that he never overheard any of such matter.

"I don't know what brought you there, only what I gathered from the Penguin on why you were there," the Assassin replied. "What does that have to do with my question?"

[blindingtrust.livejournal.com]

"You..didn't hear about...?" Ivy sighs then frowns sourly. "No of course not. That would make things easy. He...The Penguin had someone kidnapped that...Well. He's a friend. And he was being used as bait to lure me there. So I went. And after I got home he called wanting to know why he had been held by those men. So I decided to go explain what was going on as best I could in person. Then he became very worried for my safety after I told him as much as I felt safe letting him in on. So I had to take the time to reassure him that right now I shouldn't be in any danger. After that I came home. I guess it took longer than expected but he asked so many questions."

[bladeinthecrowd.livejournal.com]

"I see," Altaïr said and simply left it at that. There was a long pause of silence as the Assassin continued to eat. Either he was ingesting the information as much as the food in front of him and arranging his thoughts on the matter, or Altaïr was through with that part of the conversation and focusing his attention on other internal matters. It was impossible to tell of course until he spoke next, several minutes later.

"I should know more about you. If this is going to be a problem... I need information. You're going to have to explain things." There was a considerable pause in which Altaïr didn't allow Ivy to respond so that he could finish with: "And I need to be able to go out during the day without attracting unwanted attention." It was the closest to a "cry for help" anyone would ever get out of the Assassin concerning such matters.

[blindingtrust.livejournal.com]

Ivy took the time to eat as well. She had barely gotten time to eat with Joe calling her so often this morning. Right now in the silence that Altair had offered by leaving things alone for the moment would possibly be the only time she would get to eat in peace.

"Ask what you need to know and I can try to help you out in that regard." Ivy nods slowly. "I could ask Joe if he wouldn't mind helping...you get something? I'm not too good at purchasing men's clothing. Heck, I have trouble with my own sometimes."

[bladeinthecrowd.livejournal.com]

Altaïr could understand the reasoning behind that. As well adapted as Altaïr had noticed Ivy to be to her condition, he did not doubt that no matter how much practice one got with such a thing as picking out clothing that Ivy still had problems with it. Especially considering the type of clothing people wore in places like this. Back home, his own world, clothing was rather... drab. Usually. For the common people. Here though, and in several other worlds he deduced similar to this one from contact in the Nexus, the clothing could be quite... vibrant in nature.

Altaïr needed to blend in. And as much as he hated to wear something so unusual, and potentially less comfortable than what he was used to, it would have to be done. Therefore... he would have to cope with whatever nonsense Ivy pulled on him. Just so long as she knew he didn't like it...

"Fine. But he'll follow my rules or... well," he left it at that. A silent threat was still a very pertinent threat. Especially one coming from him.

As for the questioning, Altaïr started with the basics and went from there. He wanted to know things like her basic schedule, her friends' names and general schedule and places of residence, other places of use to know where to potentially find her if he ever needed to in a hurry for one reason or another. They were useful tools in his endeavor to protect her.

[blindingtrust.livejournal.com]

Ivy brushes her hair back away from her face. it was no longer damp so it didn't feel as heavy to her. But she told him about her friends and her general day to day schedule. She even gave him her new class schedule for the school semester. Not that it was starting for another week but she thought he would need to know what would change in the near future. She also mentioned a few places she usually spent time at on the school campus. A coffee shop and the gym.

"He'll respect your wishes. I'm sure of it. He takes things very seriously." Though Ivy wonders if she should do this instead. It might be easier on him and on her nerves.

She did though add that on free afternoons she frequents the history museum in Gotham. Mostly because she likes listening to the activity going on in there and it is in one of the safer districts in Gotham.

[bladeinthecrowd.livejournal.com]

"History museum?" Altaïr asked intrigued. He had been initially about to continue pursuing the clothes conversation, but that caught his attention. What was at a history museum? It sounded interesting... perhaps even useful.

[blindingtrust.livejournal.com]

"Mmm. Yes? It has various things to help teach people about history." Ivy had no idea she had just presented something more interesting to him than clothes shopping.

[bladeinthecrowd.livejournal.com]

Altaïr wiggled a bit in his seat, the movement somewhat resembling a cat about to pounce on its prey. He stared at Ivy with renewed interest. "About Gotham's history?"

[blindingtrust.livejournal.com]

"No. Just history in general," Ivy says very slowly. Not like she's talking to a small child. Just in a sort of confused tone.

[bladeinthecrowd.livejournal.com]

Altaïr muses this over. World history at his fingertips. Granted, this world could be very different from his own in the future, but... there seemed to be large parallels in most human worlds. He wiggled some more and forgot about breakfast.

"Take me there."

[blindingtrust.livejournal.com]

Ivy tries to not groan She just takes another bite of the food people kept interrupting her from being able to eat. "Altair. You can't go in armed. And you would stick out you know."

Because Jesus Christ, he seriously would.

[bladeinthecrowd.livejournal.com]

Altaïr glanced at his apparel and back to Ivy. Time to resume the previous topic. "Then give me some modern clothes and then take me. I will go lightly armed."

[blindingtrust.livejournal.com]

Ivy groans mentally. Why must he be so set on the museum? Sure she likes it but today just doesn't seem like a good day. "Altair. Do you have a weapon that doesn't....contain metal? One good look at what you have and well..." Ivy coughs lightly. "They might think you snitched it from a display case."

[bladeinthecrowd.livejournal.com]

That made Altaïr frown. What did metal have to do with anything? "No, I don't. What kind of weapon would something so soft make? Horrible. But I can hide what I do have."

[blindingtrust.livejournal.com]

"Metal detectors Altair. I don't think you've accounted for technological differences," Ivy mutters trying to not be a downer but Altair drawing attention to himself would be bad. "It should be fine if you go unarmed anyway. That part of town is safe. Or I could...I could get a locker near the museum for you to hold your weapons while we are inside."

[bladeinthecrowd.livejournal.com]

There was no way in hell Altaïr was going to leave his weapons in an unknown location. He frowned hard and tried to think his way around this. "What are the metal detectors like?"

[blindingtrust.livejournal.com]

Well she was trying to give him options. "They're an electronic device that picks up on most metals. It's a structure that's near the door ways. I wouldn't know how to describe them to you."

[bladeinthecrowd.livejournal.com]

He considered for a moment. "I should scout them out first, then we can go inside," he said. Then, finally, he went back to his breakfast and would speak no more.

[blindingtrust.livejournal.com]

Ivy would not roll her eyes. But she would go back to eating. She was very peckish and figured she would finally get to finish her meal. Though if she got interrupted one more time she might give up on having breakfast.

That thankfully didn't seem to be the case.