return to paradisa

[secondchances]

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[assassino]

"Va bene, that works for me," he replies.

He pulls up his hood and flashes her a smile that looks remarkably more menacing without those big brown eyes to match, and he slots his sword into his sword belt.

[secondchances]

Meanacing, but hot. Steph keeps the cowl off, gives him a thumbs up, and heads to the door.

There, her stomach gurgles louder than it once did.

"Ugh, that one actually hurt."

[assassino]

"We'll find some food," he replies. He's hungry too, but he'll think about that later. "If there's nothing to be found, I will shoot down a deer or something."

[secondchances]

She grabs his arm, clinging quite dramatically. You signed up for this, Ezio.

"Oh, how romantic," she teases. "And manly!"

[assassino]

He chuckles. That does feel kinda nice, actually, and he lays a hand over hers.

"And I'm sure you will put your feminine charms to use in cooking it, will you not?"

[secondchances]

"That's all you, darling," she says. "So let's hope there's some pizza pockets in the kitchen."

[assassino]

For a moment, Ezio doesn't remember what pizza is, much less a pizza pocket.

"How hard can it be?" he says. "Anyone could cook meat, I'm sure."

[secondchances]

"Anyone, like you." She grins. "I mean, I'll do it if I must, but I'm really hoping we're not going to be roughing it out in the wilderness."

[assassino]

He isn't thrilled at the idea of being out in the wilderness, either, having generally been a city man, but one must do what one must do. He pats her arm.

"I shall do all the cooking if you do all the sewing, then."

[secondchances]

"Teamwork. See, we'll be playing house in no time."

House. Tent. Cabin? Who knows, but she's not keen on hanging out in an abandoned city or castle.

[assassino]

“Playing?” he repeats, amused. “We will have a lot of fun with that, I think. Where would you like the house to be?”

[secondchances]

Oh, he's taking it literally. That's kinda cute, and Steph laughs as they make their way downstairs.

"Are you saying you're gonna build me a house?"

[assassino]

“Normally I would just spend a fortune commissioning the house of your dreams,” he replies. “But given the circumstances... I will build whatever you please.”

[secondchances]

"Normally," she repeats. Uh huh. "Just as long as there's a roof, I'm good. We can build up to a palace later."

[assassino]

“Yes, normal,” he replies. “Normal for a nobleman from Firenze, of course! You deserve more than a mere roof.”

[secondchances]

"A roof and... four walls? Maybe a door. Yeah, a door would be nice," she teases. "I think I'm going to be the most low maintenance girlfriend you've ever had."

[assassino]

“You will be!” he laughs. “I’m going to be lost, waiting for endless demands for fine dresses and jewels and summer villas and commissioned portraits!”

[secondchances]

"... literally none of that sounds like me."

What would she even do with jewels.

[assassino]

"Perhaps not," he agrees, "but I am determined just the same! I will find something to spoil you with."

[secondchances]

Don't make a Spoiler joke. Do. Not. Don't do it, Steph. No one appreciates it, and he wouldn't even get it a little bit.

"Weeeeell, we can just say your attention is more than enough," she decides. "And if we have to resort to cannibalism, at least bury my bones?"

[assassino]

"I have no intention of losing you to anything," he remarks, casually enough, but he feels quite firm about that. "The only depravity I will allow you to succumb to is having to settle for a villa."

[secondchances]

"Even that's a little ambitious, no?"

Really, if the castle didn't give her the creeps, they could just claim the whole damn thing for their own.

[assassino]

He takes her hand just to kiss the back of it.

"We could have all the time in the world to make it happen."

[secondchances]

"You sound almost alarmingly unbothered about that..." Really, she has no trouble spending that much time alone with him, of all people, but she does worry about him getting bored, when she thinks about it. Sure, there's no one else--probably--but boredom could happen anyway. He just wouldn't have much choice when it came to others.

[assassino]

Ezio mulls that over a moment — it’s possible, he supposes, that he is simply not interested in accepting the darker implications that Stephanie seems content to cloak herself in. But on the other hand, with time frozen in Italia, he’s content to bathe in the idea that he might be able to just live his life, unbothered by politics and overt violence...

He shakes his head.

“Paradisa is the only place I can do anything lasting, dolcezza,” he says. “I meant it when I said women cannot keep up with me. I keep the company I do for a reason.”