Like her disdain wasn't mocking him already. He'd have found a place in town like a normal person, but a) he didn't have much coin, and b) he felt inexplicably drawn back towards the Castle, like he had pressing business here. This magnetism was hard to put that into words, as if something was preventing him from admitting that even to himself.
"Just more witnesses to the Castle's treachery then," he said, waving a hand dismissively. An Assassin was an outlaw of every society, likely to be put to death for his crimes if he were caught. Why should this land be any different? "My name is on the door of my room. I do not want the Castle or anyone else to know where I sleep."
"Yet here you are, hardly out of sight. I'd have thought you'd realize there are better choices." Despite herself, she couldn't hold back a small smile. "Or perhaps you Assassins are inexorably drawn to hay."
Her surprise was quickly fading into amusement. Necessary or not, Altaïr's chosen solution to his dilemma was slightly ridiculous—or maybe it was just the second piece of hay still on his head that made it seem so.
He hadn't really thought about better choices, such as rooming with a friend. Perhaps it was better not to bring danger to a friend's doorstep anyway, even if it was a logical step. That's the first place they'd look for him.
His thoughts always ran along this line, even if he wasn't exactly a wanted criminal here.
"Not hay," he said with a straight face only the most dour could muster. Really, he was just kind of still waking up and didn't have the energy for a proper argument. "My favorite horse is here. I did not need to disappear completely, only change my location. And if I should be in need of a very quick ride, she is here."
A very quick ride to escape suspicious guards, for example.
The more he attempted a vague glare, the less effective it was. That was unfair, Maria supposed, having the advantage over him that she did—with her experience in their allied future came familiarity. He'd done worse than glare at her then; it was unlikely to intimidate her now.
"Really? Is this her?"
She stepped toward the mare, which calmly lifted its nose to be patted. It was too bad she didn't have a treat to give it along with her attention.
"Where is it that you think you'd go if you did?" she asked, glancing back over her shoulder. "Other than 'away'. As you're without a stronghold here."
He pressed his lips firmly together. True, Robert had come marching on Masyaf, and Al Mualim had been a Templar within its very walls, but that didn't mean Altaïr liked talking freely of the Assassin's headquarters anywhere less than private.
"Where there are people, there are minds and wills. I would find them, outside of this castle's reach. I do not know if they would help, but neither can a bird fly if it remains in its cage."
It seemed so simple to him. Freedom was not here, so he must find it elsewhere. He dearly wanted to start that nest here, but sometimes an Assassin needed to withdraw from an unfavorable situation, regroup and try a different tactic. He would search for a while longer, but inaction did not suit him.
Keeping his eyes on the horse while she was distracted by Maria, he surreptitiously drew out a sugar cube from his tightest pouch. She was his favorite horse, after all. She snorted in surprise at his magic tricks and lapped it up as he rubbed her nose. He was her favorite human, he liked to think.
Maria smiled softly as he spoke, more to herself than to him. Yes, she knew well what freedom meant to a bird, and to other creatures—and what the lack of it could do.
"You sound like the man I remember traveling with when you talk like that," she said, deftly getting her fingers out of the way lest any of them be lapped up along with the sugar. "Though I suppose that's not so surprising. The difference between us is, what—a couple of months?"
It was easy to lose track of the time here in Paradisa. Not only did their own calendars mean nothing to the castle, the days here had a lazy quality, as if no real time was passing at all.
"For what it's worth, I don't think that's a terrible idea," she said after a moment. "I don't know why we've really been brought here, but we're unlikely to discover the truth or do anything about it sitting around doing nothing."
Time being lazy here was exactly the thing that both stymied real investigation and made Altaïr restless and uneasy. He was beating his wings against the bars, so to speak.
"It seems as though the only difference is a few events. And, a changing in alliances on your part. If we've traveled together as you say..." he hesitated, so used to being private and closed off, but knowing that traveling alone in an unfamiliar land was dangerous, "then we could do so again. Whichever of us feels more restless sooner should call on the other, and we will see what lies beyond."
He cast a glance around the stable.
"If you are so convinced this is a bad place to lay my head, what suggestions do you have?"
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2014-08-18 07:48 am (UTC)Like her disdain wasn't mocking him already.He'd have found a place in town like a normal person, but a) he didn't have much coin, and b) he felt inexplicably drawn back towards the Castle, like he had pressing business here. This magnetism was hard to put that into words, as if something was preventing him from admitting that even to himself."Just more witnesses to the Castle's treachery then," he said, waving a hand dismissively. An Assassin was an outlaw of every society, likely to be put to death for his crimes if he were caught. Why should this land be any different? "My name is on the door of my room. I do not want the Castle or anyone else to know where I sleep."
no subject
Date: 2014-08-22 01:10 am (UTC)Her surprise was quickly fading into amusement. Necessary or not, Altaïr's chosen solution to his dilemma was slightly ridiculous—or maybe it was just the second piece of hay still on his head that made it seem so.
She didn't need to tell him about it, though.
I'M TRYING AGAIN :V
Date: 2015-02-12 02:22 am (UTC)His thoughts always ran along this line, even if he wasn't exactly a wanted criminal here.
"Not hay," he said with a straight face only the most dour could muster. Really, he was just kind of still waking up and didn't have the energy for a proper argument. "My favorite horse is here. I did not need to disappear completely, only change my location. And if I should be in need of a very quick ride, she is here."
A very quick ride to escape suspicious guards, for example.
OuO
Date: 2015-02-21 09:05 pm (UTC)"Really? Is this her?"
She stepped toward the mare, which calmly lifted its nose to be patted. It was too bad she didn't have a treat to give it along with her attention.
"Where is it that you think you'd go if you did?" she asked, glancing back over her shoulder. "Other than 'away'. As you're without a stronghold here."
being dumb with the bird metaphors, sorry not sorry
Date: 2015-02-23 09:46 am (UTC)"Where there are people, there are minds and wills. I would find them, outside of this castle's reach. I do not know if they would help, but neither can a bird fly if it remains in its cage."
It seemed so simple to him. Freedom was not here, so he must find it elsewhere. He dearly wanted to start that nest here, but sometimes an Assassin needed to withdraw from an unfavorable situation, regroup and try a different tactic. He would search for a while longer, but inaction did not suit him.
Keeping his eyes on the horse while she was distracted by Maria, he surreptitiously drew out a sugar cube from his tightest pouch. She was his favorite horse, after all. She snorted in surprise at his magic tricks and lapped it up as he rubbed her nose. He was her favorite human, he liked to think.
the whole series is dumb with bird metaphors
Date: 2015-02-24 01:18 am (UTC)"You sound like the man I remember traveling with when you talk like that," she said, deftly getting her fingers out of the way lest any of them be lapped up along with the sugar. "Though I suppose that's not so surprising. The difference between us is, what—a couple of months?"
It was easy to lose track of the time here in Paradisa. Not only did their own calendars mean nothing to the castle, the days here had a lazy quality, as if no real time was passing at all.
"For what it's worth, I don't think that's a terrible idea," she said after a moment. "I don't know why we've really been brought here, but we're unlikely to discover the truth or do anything about it sitting around doing nothing."
sexy hay icon in a stables thread A++
Date: 2015-03-30 09:52 am (UTC)"It seems as though the only difference is a few events. And, a changing in alliances on your part. If we've traveled together as you say..." he hesitated, so used to being private and closed off, but knowing that traveling alone in an unfamiliar land was dangerous, "then we could do so again. Whichever of us feels more restless sooner should call on the other, and we will see what lies beyond."
He cast a glance around the stable.
"If you are so convinced this is a bad place to lay my head, what suggestions do you have?"