secondchances | return to paradisa

It only occurs to her mid-launch that it's possible he might not have any freaking idea who she is. How many times had that happened? Not with them, not forever, but she remembers... it did happen. But then there's no reason to worry because there's a familiarity there when he grabs her, and hearing him say her name confirms it.

"Ezio," she repeats, one last time. Back on her feet, she grabs his shoulders as she leans back to look at him. Somehow, it's like she saw him yesterday and hasn't seen him in ages all at once. It's so confusing it makes her head throb, and she squeezes her eyes shot for a moment to will the ache away. Then, she's back to looking at him.

"Please tell me you're as confused as I am. Also, hi."

He laughs. It slips out of him like nothing, and he isn't even sure why -- it hasn't been that long, has it? Or maybe it has -- he feels like he's been somewhere else for an eternity, but that maybe one or the other was a dream. Now he's not sure which.

But she's grounding, and the mystery isn't nearly as compelling as her face, and when she gets a good look at him, he gets a good look at her, too. He brings a palm up to cup her cheek and stroke her face with his thumb and he beams at her.

"Very confused," he admits. "But glad not to be alone in that. Are you alright, bella?"

Waking up here would probably be the worst nightmare. Step takes a deep breath, burying that thought away, and nods. She missed that smile. She thinks, at least. Didn't she just see it?

"Yeah, think so. I woke up downstairs. In this," she says with a gesture at her suit, "Which is weird. Or at least I think it is? Uh, we didn't drink anything weird, did we?"

But when? She can't remember the last interaction she had with Ezio clearly.

"And, um."

She glances around them.

"It's really quiet. Like, spooky quiet."

Ezio thumb at her cheek a second longer, and then lets his hands linger on her hips again. Did you miss this, all the random physical affection, having a conversation with a person who cannot keep his friendly hands off of you? Ezio nods through her thoughts, quite sure that if he had drank something weird, it's so thoroughly worked into his system that he can't do anything about it.

"I did not see a single soul on my trip through," he says, finishing on a contemplative hum. "Even the air seems dead."

It's familiar. He's familiar, and she keeps her hands on his shoulders, thinking.

"... I have no idea where my room is." If she slurred her words, maybe it'd the admission of a drunk, but it's not. She feels sober and disorientated. Not drunk or drugged. And if it was the castle--well. They've been through enough here to figure it out pretty quickly.

"Which sounds like a good enough reason to knock on some doors."

In the horror movies, this is where they'd split up.

"Come on."

“If it’s gone, you can always stay in mine,” he suggests, and it might be serious, but it’s got just enough slyness to buy him a just kidding later on.

But he doesn’t disagree with her plan, and he tromps after her, still barefoot. The floors are cold, and they have that feeling on them like they might have not been swept in quite some time.

“I must confess, I have no recollection at all.”

She'd roll her eyes if that might not be a valid choice, soon. Something about all this is making the hair on the back of her neck stand up, and like hell if she's going to volunteer to hang out alone.

"Helpful," she says cheerfully, not feeling very cheerful as all as she leads them down the nearest floor. No name on the first door. The second, a plate, but the engraved name is dusty and faded. Which is weird and vaguely making Steph think her horror film thoughts are too on the nose.

"Hello?" She calls out, knocking on a door that has a name, but not one she recognizes. "Anybody home? Hello?"

Worriedly, she looks at Ezio.

"I don't want to jump to any conclusions, but... I don't know. Should we try and break down a door? Climb in a window?"

Please don't be dead bodies is exactly the look in her eyes.

His mind floats to all their time in Paradisa and it comes back with the conclusion that Paradisa has done far stranger and far crueller things than leave dead bodies. Leaving its residents open to death seemed more likely to him than simply striking them dead. Toying with them, like a cat batting around mousetraps instead of the mice.

Ezio casts the door with a dubious look.

“I could climb around from the other side, but it may be swifter to kick it in. Just what do you think we will find?”

"I'm thinking corpses or nothing at all. At this point, I don't know which is gonna be worse."

If something strange was going on, other people would have picked up on it, too. They'd be out and about asking, checking on friends... right? Steph rubs her arm, like the suit isn't keeping her warm enough.

"Ezio, I'm sorta thinking we haven't been here for a while. On account of, you know. Memory loss? I can't remember where my room is, and I'm also having a hard time remembering yesterday."

When she thinks, she thinks she had class. But that's not right. Wasn't she here? But...

"Not to mention that this place looks rough. Like dusty, haunted castle rough."

The castle bothers him. Not knowing what's ahead of them bothers him, and so does the idea that he has no idea what he was doing before this. There's the warm memory of adrenaline coursing through him, but he's not so sure that what his body remember is what was actually happening. If he was up on some sinful errand, who was it for? Who was it with? Where? He could never confuse the rooftops of Firenze for the rooftops of Venice, and yet it is a blur.

Ezio looks at her trying to keep warm and he wishes he had a jacket to throw around her.

"I just came from my room," he tells her. "Perhaps we could go there and put you in something less..."

He gestures vaguely, tracing out the contours of a narrow waist and wider hips, and then he reaches for her again, to keep her warm.

"We are not in any immediate danger. Take a moment, dolcezza. Catch your breath."

She's not sure about changing, but he's not exactly in a state to be running around, either.

"You need shoes," she says, sounding distracted as she steps closer, resting her chin on his shoulder as she stares at yet another door. Didn't they...?

Abruptly, she pulls back.

"Try asking for them."

Asking for them? It takes him a moment to realize what she's talking about. Right -- being able to conjure things from thin air. He nods, even as she pulls from his arms.

"I do need shoes," he says. He ponders that for a moment, and settles: "I would like a pair of boots, Cair Paradisa."

Nothing.

He frowns, and deeply at that.

"You try."

"I would like a pair of boots."

Nothing.

"A watering can? Popsicle sticks?"

Still, nothing. She doesn't remember it being any more complicated than that. She gives it another few moments, frowning at Ezio.

"No dice. Guess we go back to your room. Maybe we'll try climbing out the window and into another, while we're there."

Sounds like a good enough plan to him.

"Va bene" he replies, putting a hand to the small of her back and guiding her on, down the hall, towards the stairs. "No gifts for us. Either someone has changed the rules, or we've caught her unawares."

He glances at her. Despite his skull feeling full of cobwebs, his emotions feel in place, and when he looks at her, he doesn't feel so worried about the castle. He and Stephanie have been through a lot together. He imagines that means that if he was meant to be back here, it's only right that it's with her.

He catches a lock of her hair between two fingers and tugs it, gently.

"You're not worried, are you?"

What's there to be so worried about, anyway?

The tug makes her smile.

"Just confused and feeling like I'm missing something." A lot of somethings, actually. "But I'm glad you're here. I'd be freaking out if you weren't."

Maybe she'll feel better once they're not out on the open, so to speak. Once at the stairs, she pauses before heading up. He came from that way, so it makes sense to go there, but she does slow after a point to let him lead.

"Are you worried?"

He doesn't think he'd be freaking out without her, as he has never been prone to... well, a thought that he knows she's going to call sexist, so he keeps to himself, just smiling. Yes, he's glad she's here. Very glad.

"What is there to worry about? We have bested this place before." He pauses thoughtfully, even as he steps out ahead of her to lead the way. "And we'll best it again... though I may steal you away to Venezia, if you don't mind."

She's not sure they can call it besting the place if they're here, and if this time, it wasn't a short trip home. That usually meant some sort of new memories--or experiences--and Stephanie can't really sort out the mess in her head. And the castle looks like it hasn't seen a soul in some time. That might be the most unsettling part.

"You know, Ezio, at this point... it's not a bad idea." Impossible? Maybe.

There's a certain grimness to being there, especially in this state, but Ezio is choosing not to think about it in that very moment. They don't have the answers yet. There's room to find out more, and make a decision later.

"You think so?" he asks, and he glances at her with a cheeky grin. "I'd like that. I think you would too, once you got used to the..." What's the word? "Electricity."

"You do seem to be unable to get rid of me."

Or is it the other way around? Regardless, she's glad. Walking through the halls with him is a comfort, and she's eager to get to his room so she can relax. She's been listening for noise. Footsteps, a voice. Anything.

That there hasn't been just makes her stomach twist.

"Are you suggesting that I would enjoy that?" he asks, and he makes to pinch her bottom, but he lets his hand hover there instead. She's having a tough time, better to leave her be. Let her knock him around a little.

That and it's better to focus on a dear friend than whatever nonsense is ahead of them.

"I have a weird headache and I don't remember the layout of a place I'm pretty sure I spent four years in, but I do know some stuff. Like that I'm your favorite. So, you'd never get rid of me. That's the joke."

Maybe some sort of cosmic joke, if they're the only two people here. And while she might be listening for things, a near-butt pinch goes entirely unnoticed. She's more looking up at the ceiling--are those cobwebs?--than paying attention to him, anyway.

"... so. What if we're alone here?"

"You are my favourite," he replies, fondly. Okay, hand drifting away in favour of settling on her waist. His gaze follows hers. He thinks to tease her further until he sees those cobwebs, and then some joke about repopulating dies on the tip of his tongue. He's never seen cobwebs in the castle.

Ezio glances over his shoulder, back down the hall. It occurs to him that the lights aren't even on -- daylight streams in from the windows. He wonders if the power is even on.

"We'll deal with that when we know it to be true."

He puts a hand on her waist, and she steps closer to be against his side as they walk. She's got the heebie jeebies and isn't ashamed to make it known.

"Don't really know how you deal with that, but okay..."

"Dolcezza, we are two of the most resilient people this castle has known," he assures her, scooping her in a little closer. "Have a little faith in us. We will figure something out."

"Right," she agrees on a breath out. "But first, you need boots."

One thing at a time.

"Did you just run out of your room without them?"

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