[Muse dragged out of hiding. Not pleased. This is a common problem.]

[mywayisbetter]

I don't understand your fixation. I won't cooperate with your little plans - or lack thereof. Stop trying.

Comments

[eaglebornbyfreedomwon]

It is best to not attempt to understand these...people.

[mywayisbetter]

I doubt I ever will understand, even if I try. [He sighs softly, peers at the man beneath his hood.]

You wear the sign of my people, but your face is unknown to me...

[eaglebornbyfreedomwon]

Neither is yours. Though I do come from across the Atlantic.

[mywayisbetter]

Atlantic...

[He pauses a moment, testing the word on his tongue a few more times. The land mass I saw - or one of them, he assumes - he was shown.]

Interesting. What is it like there?

[eaglebornbyfreedomwon]

The Atlantic is an ocean. The land that I come from is known by the Europeans as "North America". I suppose that you can also say that the country I hail from is the "United States".

[The phrase felt a bit foreign on the tongue, yet somewhat comforting. It may take some getting used to.]

That also depends on where you live. Some parts are warm for all year. Yet others can prove to be cold and unforgiving during winter. As well as hot during the months of summer.

[mywayisbetter]

[The assassin is quite interested... And then that last statement really sparks something. He physically draws up, head tilted a bit.]

It must be quite a big place... many climates. Where I am from, there is very little rain or snow... mostly, the land is barren beneath the mountains.

[Nostalgia... definitely a major note of that on his voice.]

Men fight for possession of a tiny piece of land. It hardly seems worth it. The "holy" land, they call it. Watered by blood, perhaps, but holy? No, I doubt that.

[eaglebornbyfreedomwon]

The Holy Land?

[That...sounds familiar. From what he could remember of the history and geography lessons that he glided from Achilles, the ones he payed attention too. Wasn't the "Holy Land" all the way over where the Otomans now inhabit?]

Oh, then you truly do come from far away. I am on the other side of the world.

[mywayisbetter]

[The other side of the world! What a concept... He can't resist the question.]

So there are people there...? How do men get there? Surely the journey is perilous. The Crusader armies cross water, but many of their ships sink or wash ashore in pieces. I wouldn't trust my life to those ships for such a great distance.

[eaglebornbyfreedomwon]

There have been great design changes.

[What century is this guy from? The Crusaders? Really?]

I for one captain a vessel of my own back home.

[mywayisbetter]

[Altaïr smiles a bit, finally understanding a bit. This place is strange. Just because someone wears the same symbol doesn't mean they're from the same time. He stretches a bit, looking around.]

Has the world changed, I wonder? Ah, but I'm sure it's not for me to know. You fight to uphold the free will of humanity. You are my brother, no matter the time between.

[He bows a little, respectfully, then gives the man a bit of a smirk]

But... I wonder if you can keep up with a master?

[eaglebornbyfreedomwon]

It has changed greatly. Men openly fight for their freedom, and that of others. Though for whom is yet to be seen.

[But everyone was on the right track, he supposed. They just needed a push in that direction.]

I was more than capable of keeping up with my master.

[Who was an old man but still.]

[ Sorry for late ^_^;;;; ]

[mywayisbetter]

[Yes, much has changed, it would seem. Though Altaïr is curious about his fellow assassin's unfamiliar weaponry - at least he guesses it's some sort of weaponry - he is more curious about skill with the blade... which it would seem that this stranger does carry a blade, though he is unsure. He turns his arm over, touches the folded blade gently, then activates its mechanism, fist clenched around the razor edge that has replaced his ring finger.]

Surely you bear a blade. May I?

[pushesgently]

[Ah, yes, his past—or perhaps future?—self. These encounters are always fascinating, if still most strange.]

You'll find that these people are remarkably persistent. Our lack of cooperation often brings them only amusement.

[mywayisbetter]

[Well, isn't this strange? Altaïr tilts his head, then carefully steps a bit closer, moving like a wary cat.]

I see... And yet I do not believe my eyes. How can you be, if I am? Clearly you are not a refection, though you could be a deception I am meant to pursue. And somehow, I do not feel any forces at work.

[Most interesting. He stands a little straighter, still assessing the situation.]

I assume this place is stranger than I expected. I was not warned of this.

[pushesgently]

Peace, brother. [His lips twitch in a half-smile.] Though that may not be the right term. In this place-between-worlds, just as there are many who have taken interest in our lives, there are many versions of ourselves placed into the world they explore.

It is extremely strange, but there is much we can learn at the same time.