The legacy

"Mistress Shay, a package has arrived for you."
"Thank you, brother. You may leave it on my bed." The assassin did as he was told and left as quietly as he had entered. Ember was in no hurry to open the package as she already knew who it was from. Still, the idea of a gift had spurred her interest so she shut down her computer and sat on the bed. She recognised the handwriting on the attached letter, it only confirmed the sender's identity. Ember chipped off the templar wax seal, opened the letter, and began to read it:

"My dearest Ember,
I know how much you love your weapons and since it is your birthday, I managed to convince the assassins to let me give you this sword. It is a katana of my own design, the blade is made from obsidian. As you know, a blade made from obsidian is the sharpest blade you can find, only if it has been crafted correctly. I trust you will put it to good use.

All my love,
Your father

P.S.
Happy birthday."

Ember put the letter in her pocket before she opened the parcel. The katana was beautiful with its obsidian blade, platinum tsuba, and the ebony tsuka, not to mention how light it felt. Ember quickly changed into her training suit and grabbed the katana, "Time to see how you handle in training" Ember said to the new katana before she headed to the training hall.

The training hall was filled with assassins, they all greeted her with kind words. After nearly 300 years, the assassins had finally accepted the women of the Shay bloodline and their ties to the templars.

"Mind if I join you, Mistress Shay?" Ember turned around and wiped the sweat from her brow, "Only if you can keep up" she laughed.

Benjamin tilted his head toward his new family, the American Assassins. He'd been relocated here from Australia by his Den Master. There'd been fear that he would have been sought out and murdered unfairly, like they'd done to his father when he was sixteen years old. He watched Ember closely. She had been one of the first to approach him when he arrived here at the bureau and was thankful to her for it. Ben closed his eyes and rested his head against the wall where he sat. There, he rested for a moment.

Things began to swim through his mind. Memories, more or less. And one vivid one in particular made him stir uneasily. Hooves pounded against the street and the horse's heavy breathing was a sign that the animal was near exhaustion. Ben leapt from the horse when they reached the den and there were sounds of metal clashing together. Inside the courtyard, Ben was witness to a battle. The Templars had already begun their assault. The young Assassin ran through the field of battle, fighting his way through the Templars. He absolutely had to get inside before something happened to the Master!

Finally, Ben made it inside and ran through the halls, his feet pounding against the stairs as he climbed them to the top. There was Lucien Grey, the Traitor. "Time for you to die, old Man,"
"NO!" Benjamin rushed in--

Ben woke with a start, and sat forward, sweat dappling his forehead. He shook his head for a moment and ran his hand through his damp hair before falling back against the wall, a saddened expression on his face. "There was nothing you could have done," the familiar voice was comforting. He hadn't heard it in a long time, since he'd left Australia.
"I know, Altair," he whispered, eyes staring at the ceiling. "Lucien's death was necessary for the Den's survival." Ben looked over to where Ember was training, again. "At any rate, this is my home now."

Ember continued with her training, and she enjoyed every second of it. She proved to be highly efficient with her sword, and she almost stabbed her partner by accident.
"Mistress Shay, perhaps we should switch to the bokuto and gear up?" Ember nodded, and sheathed her new Katana before she and Onikawa put on their bogu which consisted of Men, Do, Tare, and Kote. Three men gathered around the two Assassins, each man holding a red flag and a white flag. Ember fastened the red ribbon around her wrist, and her opponent did the same.
"You know, I'm still going to beat you" Ember said with a laugh as she took up her stance, holding the Bokuto firmly within her hands.
"Oh I know. Just this way you won't kill me." Ember chuckled quietly to herself as she bent her knees slightly for better balance.

"Ima!"

With that, the small match started. The room was filled with the sound of the two wooden Bokuto clashing, and a few Assassins stopped training just to watch. Since they were both Kendo masters, it was an even match that lasted a the full three rounds. "Yame!" Ember and the young woman bowed to each other before they removed their gear. Ember noticed Benjamin, and smiled before she grabbed her Katana.
"Later, Onikawa-chan."
"Later, Shay-chan."

"Hey, Ben. How are you doing" Ember asked as she took a seat beside her fellow Assassin.

Ben smiled over at his friend and returned his eyes to the ceiling. "Okay, I su'pose," he said, his thick Australian accent hard to miss. "In truth, Ember, I miss Australia. But I can't go back, or I'd be killed." It was the truth. The Australian Templars knew Benjamin well, well enough to ambush him and kill him where he stood and that would end the Cloudmark line, something he wasn't willing to let happen. Although Benjamin was open about this portion of information, he was unwilling to release one strand of information that could potentially get him isolated, as it had back in Sydney. Then he nodded to the Katana. "That's new," almost as though it had smacked him across the face, he gave a chuckle and shook his head. "I almost forgot. Happy birthday, Ember."

Benjamin had to admit: Altair and Ezio were both great at not speaking when Ben obviously didn't need them to. It was a different story when he was on a mission or having vivid memories of what had happened with Lucien Grey back in Sydney, Australia. Benjamin shook his head again and pulled out a small box wrapped with what looked like festive Japanese wrapping paper. He held it on his lap for a moment, searching for the right words to say before he handed the box over. "I actually managed to get you somethin' this year," he said with a chuckle. "It might not be much, but it at least says you're more dangerous than what first glance can tell."

"Thank you, Ben." Ember held the present in her hands, and smiled warmly. She missed her home back at England, so she had a fairly good idea of how Benjamin felt. But when she was around her friends, she completely forgot about her old home. Naturally, she was curious as to what he had got for her. She calmly opened the gift, and smiled happily when she saw what it was.
"Thank you, Ben, it's perfect."

(What did he give her?)

(a new hidden blade. like what Liz gave Sam, a poison hidden blade with a refillable poison bottle)

Benjamin smiled and nodded at her. "Glad you like it," he said softly. "That was hard to find, might I add! Spent me pretty much the entire week just trackin' it down."
"And pissed off some Templars in the process," Ben turned his head at the voice of Altair and chuckled before looking back to Ember, running a hand through his hair for a moment

Ember fixed the new hidden blade to her wrist, and smiled happily as she flicked her wrist revealing the blade.
"It's just like the one Liz made for Samuel." Ember marveled at the genius design of the blade before she let out a soft laugh. "How about we go for a bit of a run over the rooftops? Maybe we can even grab a drink after" Ember suggested as she tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. She truly looked exactly like her ancestor, Elizabeth Shay.

Benjamin smiled and nodded. "Or'right," he said softly. "I could go for a run. Haven't been out since my mission, which was when I picked up that blade." Benjamin stood to his feet and threw up his hood, making sure he had everything he'd need in case they got into a fight with the Templars. "Where to, Miss Shay?"

Ember looked to the young Japanese woman she had trained with earlier.
"Onikawa, look after Zuko for me."
"Yeah, will do." Ember turned to face Benjamin with a smile.
"Why don't we head to the roof and race to the pub?"

Benjamin smiled at the thought and gave a nod. "Let's get goin' then!" He sounded excited to get out of the place for a bit and he certainly hadn't been to a pub in God knows how long.
"Be cautious, Benjamin," Ben looked to the wall where he'd been sitting earlier. "Templars might be prowling around."
"I doubt Templars will be a problem," breathed Benjamin under his breath.

Ember ran off to the roof, drew her hood, and made her way along the rooftops. She laughed happily as she leapt off of the roof, and landed on another. The pub was only a ten minute run from the bureau, and she couldn't wait to get there. Looking at her, nobody would say that she had only been released from Bethlem institution a few months ago. But then again, she was with a friend.

Benjamin bounded after her, taking a different path to the pub than she was taking. He jumped from one roof and landed on another, falling into a roll before he continued to run, sliding and leaping any obstacle in his path. To those who would look at him, he didn't fit well with the American buildings. He looked like he belonged in Australia, his home. The way he moved spoke of his former training and years of practice.

Ember slid down a drainpipe, and sat on an upturned plastic crate for a moment. Her knees were acting up again. Once the spell had passed, she walked the rest of the way to the pub. It was an old English styled pub, so it reminded her of her home back at England. She wasn't quite sure where Benjamin was, so she decided to have a quick smoke.

Benjamin ran off the edge of a building and landed in a bush, emerging with twigs and leaves dappling his outfit. He was beaming and a smile was on his face. "That was amazing!" He stated, taking a deep breath of air. "I haven't run jus' for the hell of it in ages!"

"I know. There's something about running. I can't really put it into words, but it really makes you feel... I dunno, alive, I guess." Ember killed her smoke, and expertly flicked it into a nearby trashcan. "Come on, let's head on inside." Ember quickly ducked into the pub, and smiled as she took in the warm atmosphere that she loved so much. "Where do you want to sit? Bar, booth, or table?"

Benjamin took a deep breath once he stepped inside and his stomach gave a small growl. He hadn't eaten yet. "Booth would be good," he said with a nod. "Have to admit. This atmosphere reminds me of home." His voice became slightly saddened. He'd left a fellow assassin back home, one not from the Sydney Den. They'd become friends on one of his missions across Australia.

In a dark corner sat a young man, a hood covering his face. His deep sapphire eyes shifted to the two that just walked in and he watched them carefully from under his hood. He shifted slightly in his chair, resting his arms across the table as he gripped a glass half-filled with some sort of beverage. On occasion, he'd look back to the two.

"Same here" Ember said with a laugh as she sat down at a booth. She pulled down her hood, revealing her unmistakable Shay features. In fact, she looked exactly like her ancestor, Elizabeth Shay. "We can't dwell on the past, we can only learn from it. Now how about we get something to drink? By the sounds of it, we should probably get something to eat too."

Benjamin chuckled softly and threw down his own hood before taking his seat. "Almost forgot I hadn't eaten yet," he teased.
"Keep your eyes peeled," Benjamin looked back toward the door for a moment. "You're being watched." Benjamin shivered and ran a hand through his hair, tapping a few fingers against the table in a drumming motion, something he did when he was nervous.

"I suggest the fish and chips, or the bangers and mash, or anything else on the menu. Everything here is amazing." Ember noticed Benjamin's nervous drumming, and knew something was off. She sighed quietly, and simply pushed it out of her mind. "So what do you want to drink?" Ember was really just trying to distract him from whatever was making him nervous. Even though she was a morbidly depressed person, she was constantly trying to keep her fellow Assassins in good spirits.

"Do they have anythin' that is like Australian beer?" Benjamin asked, his voice shaking slightly. He cleared his throat and licked his lips for a moment. He breathed out for a moment before shifting his hand to the menu. He needed to get his mind off of what was said. However, the feeling of being watched just grew.

"Yeah. I'll go get our drinks." Ember quickly raced off to the bar to order their drinks. She couldn't help but notice a strange man at the bar. However, she still wasn't quite right after the incident, and she had only been released from the institution a few months ago, so she thought it best to try and keep calm.
"I got you a Castle. I hope that's alright with you" Ember asked as she handed Ben his drink. She took a seat, and sipped at her double Malibu rum and icetea peach.

Benjamin took a drink of the beverage and lifted his eyebrows in surprise. "That," he stated, licking his lips. "Is strangely delicious for an American brewed Australian-type drink." He proceeded to laugh at his own strange way of complimenting Americans. "That was a horrible way of expressin' a compliment."

Austin cleared his throat rather loudly, finishing off his drink with a final gulp. Instead of getting up to leave, however, he stayed put, his eyes resting lightly on Benjamin and Ember. Then his gaze went to the strange man sitting at the bar. His target.

"I wasn't going to say anything earlier, but there's a young man at the bar. He's been watching us since we got here." Ember took out her phone, and cleverly held it in a way that it looked like she was texting, yet in a way that Ben could see the man Ember had referred to. "Do you see him" Ember whispered quietly. She was quite nervous about the idea of being watched.

Benjamin swallowed, the drumming of his fingers against the table beginning again. "I wasn't goin' to say nothin' 'bout it," he answered, his voice quiet. "But I've felt that way since we sat down." He was avoiding the fact that he'd been told they were being watched. He never got creepy feelings like that, he was always told. Benjamin's eyes scanned the crowd before resting on the dark corner where he caught the eye of someone in dark clothes sitting there. A cold chill crept up his spine and he tensed his muscles out of habit.
"Leave,"

"We need to go," Benjamin said quietly, but with a tone of urgency in his voice. "Now." With as much self control as he possibly could manage, Benjamin stood from the booth after consuming the remainder of the drink Ember had bought and threw his hood back over his face, turning his back to the corner. Muscles still tensed, the Australian Assassin hurried out of the door and into the darkness. Whomever was at the bar moved when Ben did and that caused Austin to stir, drawing his hood closer around his face and carefully scooting the chair back before making sure he was hidden from sight.

Benjamin stood by a wall outside of the pub, shoulders tense and eyes staring down an alleyway, as though he was looking at someone. "You and her need to get out of here, sul doppio,"(on the double)
"I can't jus' tell her 'bout you guys," he hissed quietly, casting a wary glance toward the pub. "She'd think I'm crazy. Besides, that young man in the corner was suspicious enough. I'd hate to think the man at the bar was a Templar."
"He was," came the quiet response. "That's why I told you to get out."

Ember shook her head after watching Ben run out of the pub. She quickly paid for their drinks before she calmly made her way outside.

"Jaysus, Ben. You ran out of there like a bat out of hell." Ember ran her fingers through her hair. Things were still alright, so she hadn't had a breakdown just yet. "Why don't we stick to the shadows when we move around for the rest of the night?"