AN: Greetings, friends! I didn't forget you. :) I apologize for these gaps between chapters. Trust me, I'm far from uninspired for this story, it's just hard to get my creative juices flowing with school keeping me busy. Anyway, here's another chapter for you lovelies. It's somewhat short, but now that I've got more ideas cooking in my brain, more chapters should come soon! Thanks for your support and reviews! They make my day. :)

Disclaimer: Please see previous chapters.

By late afternoon, Traviatta and Ezio had tied up their horses outside the walls of Firenze. They passed under one of the large metal gates outside the city, and, with a bit of persuasion from Traviatta, they made into the city right under the noses of the heavily armored guards, who didn't so much as glance in their direction as they entered,.

"So…what should we do now?" Traviatta asked. Now that they had made it into the city, she felt a strange sense of apprehension; she had only planned up to this point.

"Perhaps we should start by finding us some new clothes."

"Clothes?"

"Well, we can't expect our little masquerade to work if we aren't in costume." Ezio said with a grin.

"But…how?"

Right on cue, a man and a woman strolled past the two of them, the woman laughing uproariously at something the man had said. Both of them were dressed in the elaborate finery of a comfortably wealthy family. They even seemed to be about the same size as the two assassins. A sneaky smile passed between them as the couple turned down an empty alleyway. Ezio and Traviatta were quick to follow.

A few dusty, uncomfortable minutes later, they emerged from the alleyway in their upper-crust outfits. Fortunately, everything fit very well. Traviatta's dress was a gorgeous scarlet silk piece, with a bodice nearly covered in gold embellishments and lace and a smooth black underskirt and a scoop neckline that twinkled with little rubies and bits of gold. She'd even put on her mother's ruby pendant; a lovely jewel on a gold chain. She'd not worn it before, but kept it in her pocket, for fear of losing it. Now, she wore it for good luck. Traviatta felt like a completely different person in such finery, and couldn't restrain herself from twirling like a little girl.

"Well, well. Don't you look lovely." A familiar voice said from nearby. Traviatta's cheeks went bright red in embarrassment. Chuckling, her partner in crime stepped from the alleyway, making a few final adjustments to his long sleeved red shirt, which glinted with gold at the sleeves. The black vest was made of a rich looking material, with a tall collar, and was patterned all over with bits of gold, matching nicely with Traviatta's dress.

"We…uh…we look like quite the pair!" Traviatta said, smiling downward as she pretended to be fascinated with her pendant. She still felt rather shy in the company of this man who, although he seemed friendly enough, still managed to bring out some slight apprehension in her. After all, he had witnessed the deaths of his father and brothers right before his very eyes, when he was about her same age, and had taken the lives of some of the most important men in society.

"So we do." He said with an amused smirk. "Anyway, shall we?" Traviatta smiled when he gallantly offered her his arm. She took it and together they strolled down the streets, Traviatta scanning the horizon for suspicious activity.

"It might not be my place to ask," Traviatta began. "And it might not even be any of my business but…why did they …do that to your family, Ezio?" She asked apprehensively. She hoped her question wouldn't bring up ugly feelings, and ruin her chance of making a good impression with this man whose power seemed to know no bounds.

"The reasons are unclear to me as of now. But I believe I know who's behind it. And, as God as my witness, I will find out why they decided to tear my family apart. I will find answers." Ezio answered with determination. Traviatta was surprised at how his sentiments so greatly echoed Traviatta's own promise for vengeance for her mother and, now, her father as well.

"I seek answers also." Traviatta looked to her companion and smiled slightly. "Perhaps we will find them together."

"Maybe we will." He said and returned the smile.

Before they could converse further, the masqueraders passed through a small road lined with various merchant stalls, selling a wide variety of colorful goods. A bolt of fabulously blue Venetian silk caught her eye and Traviatta, always on the lookout for a great bargain, was about to dash over and ask the price, when they were nearly knocked down by a pair of large men; one was in his late 30's, the other in his late 50's. Both of them were dressed very fine, in silks and satins, almost dripping with furs and jewels. Traviatta shot them a scowl when they had hurried away without an apology.

"Some people are just so rude." She said with a twinge of annoyance. She felt a strange lightness on her arm and looked around. "Ezio?" She was surprised to see that her companion had vanished from her side. Traviatta glanced around nervously; he wouldn't have gone off like that unless there was a reason…right? After a moment of nervous searching, there was a strange whistle from behind one of the merchant stalls, so Traviatta went to investigate. She found her partner in crime looking behind the back of a merchant stall towards where the two men conversed.

"What is it? What's happening?" Traviatta asked Ezio, approaching him and attempting to peek over his shoulder to see what he saw.

"Those men aren't from around here." Ezio said quietly, not taking his dark eyes from them.

Traviatta took a few steps around the merchant stall and noticed that the men were talking in hushed tones, their heads bent together, deep in conversation in a foreign tongue. She also noticed that they lacked the distinctive look of native Florentines; the younger man had pale skin and dusty blonde hair, the older had a straight mane of dark blonde and silver with the same pale skin.

"Are they from farther north, perhaps? Maybe Germans?" Traviatta turned and asked over her shoulder.

"Whoever they are, we need to find out what they're up to." Ezio said as the men suddenly both nodded, their conversation clearly at an end, and disappeared together down a nearby alleyway.

Quickly, Ezio took her hand and led her out to the side of the road, where more people had gathered around the different merchant shops, haggling their way to prosperity.

"Follow my lead. And try to make it convincing, hm?" He said with a playful jab at Traviatta's side that made her squeak.

"What are you…?" She asked, a confused little half smile on her lips as he put a gentle hand around her waist and drew her close to his side. With an inward shrug, she put her arm around him, and leaned toward him, snuggling into his broad shoulder. Together, they strolled slowly towards the entrance of the alleyway. She giggled when he sweetly kissed her flushed cheek but she couldn't suppress a raised eyebrow when he took a playful nip at her ear.

"Is that not a bit too much?" She murmured.

"Not at all. Unless, of course, it bothers you." He replied quietly, nuzzling her dark hair. "You're a pretty convincing actress."

"How do you know I'm acting this? " She said with a flirty grin, lightly running her fingers along his jawline.

Laughing, Ezio led her towards the alleyway.

"I think I like you already." He said with a grin.

The two men were now at the end of the alleyway, and were shortly joined by another, slightly older man with a thick brown and grey beard. He passed a sheaf of papers to the foreign conspirators and had soon vanished as quickly as he had arrived. Avoiding the analytical gaze of the older men, they made to pass by them unnoticed, Traviatta giggling coquettishly at nothing.

"Just a moment, Madonna, Messere! Perhaps you might be interested in taking a small moment to look at our wares, hm?" The younger man called as they passed. "We have some interesting new…additions to our merchandise." The older man echoed in a lower voice.

"Oh, let's go see, Antonio! Does it not sound fun? I do so love to shop."

"Whatever you wish is yours, cara." Ezio replied, stroking her hair. "What is it you are selling today, gentlemen?"

"We have recently come into a fine, young new stock of exceptional value. Perhaps you might be interested in seeing them for yourself…?" The younger man said with a smooth, business-like air of experience, as the older man, probably his father, chuckled low under his breath and glanced at the papers he held.

"Fine then. Let's go see!" Traviatta said, doing her best to remain cheerful when, in fact, she was terrified as to what sort of "wares" this strange men might have.

"Just a moment, dear girl." The older man spoke up in a rasping Germanic accent. "Due to the special qualities of ours wares, we must ensure that you are seriously interested. If you'd like to see them, meet us again here, tonight, just after sunset. Then you might see them."

"Um…molto bene." She replied nervously, taking a few steps backwards. Somehow, Ezio's presence near her made her feel safer. As if responding to her anxiety, he put a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"Adeiu then. Gentlemen." He said to them. Traviatta took her companions arm and they quickly left the alley as the two strange men watched them go, smilingly strangely and chattering in their native tongue.

"What strange men." Traviatta said once they had left and retired their masquerade for the time being.

"Very strange. They're definitely working for West. We'll need to take them out also. But, we need them tonight, regardless. If we can keep up our disguises, they'll lead us right into their circle."

"We'll need to be prepared. If we meet them tonight, they could even be planning an ambush."

"That's right. But, you know Traviatta, we're always prepared, aren't we?"

Traviatta glanced fondly at the sharp silver blade that flashed up from under her wrist. "Yes, we are."