A Question of Loyalty

"I will be. I mean to return to the hospital tomorrow,
hopefully to catch Altaïr so that I can trail him." Hopefully her luck would hold on that front. She didn't mention the plan to let Garnier die, though she assumed that Lilith would have no more qualms about it than Donahue.

Lilith took a sip of her wine, and sat in thought for a moment. Hopefully the Assassin would kill Garnier as the man had been a thorn in her side for quite some time.
"I hope your mission proves successful, Nasrin. If you manage to kill or capture him, you will surely be promoted, or at least be granted a bit more freedom" Lilith said with a sigh before taking another sip of her wine. "Would you like some assistance tomorrow? Or at least have one of us nearby if you need help?"

"If either of you arre willing, it would certainly prove useful to have extra eyes on him. And if it isn't too much trouble, I should like to take you up on your offer to teach me some fighting basics." Nasrin doubted that she would be getting into a fight, but she was also a woman of extreme caution. Not to mention, she would do well to learn a few things from such skilled combatants.

Lilith looked at Nasrin with a sly smile before handing Samael to Cullen. She rose to her feet, and made her way over to the table, moving it aside, and rolled up the carpet revealing a trapdoor. She grabbed and old lantern, and lit it before opening the trapdoor.
"Come along then. Some training would do us all some good" Lilith said happily before going through the trapdoor with Cullen close behind. Donahue looked to Nasrin, clearly quite confused, but he was still rather curious.
"This should be interesting" Donahue said with a chuckle before following the two.

Lilith had lit some torches revealing a beautiful cave filled with training equipment, weapons, scrolls, relics, and a rather curious shrine. There was even a bed in the corner loaded with blankets, furs, and pillows. A large pool of water took up the far end of the cave. It was freezing in the cave, but Cullen, Samael, and Lilith were coping perfectly.

Nasrin pressed her arms close to herself in an effort to stave off the cold of the cave. It was wondrous in the cave, despite the freezing temperature. "Incredible," she breathed, eying the shrine and the relics.
The spy removed the dress she'd worn in favor of the trousers and simple shirt underneath it. Then, she headed towards the various weapons and equipment on display.

Cullen handed Nasrin a warm coat while Lilith tucked Samael in bed, carefully bundling him up to keep him warm and safe. She sat there, singing him a song until he fell asleep. Donahue studied the shrine closely, smiling slightly.
"I see you still follow the old gods, sister, and you still practice" Donahue said with a smile.
"Aye. I know it's dangerous, but they've looked after us for centuries."
"I thought you stopped practicing after what they did to you."
"Why should I change who I am because of a few fools" Lilith said with a chuckle before turning her attention to Nasrin. "Nasrin, I beg you, do not tell anybody what you have seen here."

Nasrin shook her head. "It's not my place to tell others what to believe. I will not share your secret." She was still surprised to find that both Donahue and Lilith believed such things, but it didn't change her opinion of them. She wouldn't risk her friends for their beliefs.

Lilith headed over to a large chest, and pulled out two small golden figures, and set them on the shrine, and turned to Nasrin.
"I wasn't sure if you were Christian, a follower of the old gods, or if you believe in nobody,  but I figured it would at least remind you of your homeland" Lilith said with a smile as she revealed the golden statuettes of Sekhmet and Amun. Donahue sifted through the weapons, carefully assessing each of them to find the perfect weapon for Nasrin. He had narrowed it down to a kopesh, and various other short swords.
"Nasrin, we need you to pick a weapon that calls out to you" Donahue said with a smile as he gestured to the weapons he had assembled.

Nasrin appreciated Lilith's thought, smiling at the gods of her ancestors. Even though she herself didn't believe in them, it was almost comforting to have them watching over her.
The weapons laid out before her caught her eyes next. Nasrin had never considered herself sentimental, but the khopesh - a weapon out of her people's past - caught her eye. It wasn't the weapon of a spy . . . but she would be disguising herself as an Assassin in due time. She took the blade in her hand, weighing it. "I think this will do."

Donahue smiled proudly when Nasrin chose the kopesh as her weapon of choice. It wasn't as widely used as it once was, and it was a fitting weapon considering her heritage.
"A fine choice, Nasrin" Donahue said with a small smile. Lilith grabbed a short sword, and strapped on her old hidden blade.
"Assassins are like hyenas, weak and opportunistic predators. If they sense any weakness, they will attack without mercy. They fight dirty, and they are quick. Go ahead, try to strike me." Donahue took a seat on the bed, gently stroking Samael's hair as he watched Lilith and Nasrin. Cullen, on the other hand, was brewing some concoction at a table not too far from the shrine.

Something told Nasrin that her pride was about to take a beating. She knew that likely no matter what she did, Lilith would probably turn ot against her like it was nothing. Still, that was exactly why she had asked.
She decided to do a feinting attack, swinging her new weapon seemingly from the right before twisting it and using it to thrust instead.

Lilith quickly dipped out of the way, leaping backwards to avoid being injured. She was impressed, but Nasrin still wasn't good enough to go up against an Assassin.
"Off to a good start. Remember, Assassins are fast, sneaky people that have often been raised as killers. They fight dirty, you should do the same. Use your environment to your advantage. Strike where they least expect it." Lilith backed away from Nasrin, and gestured for her to try again.

Considering her options, Nasrin held her sword in front of her in a guard. Use your environment. There was the shrine, a good opportunity to back Lilith into something . . . if she thought that she would fall for it. Maybe the spring or . . . the dirt.
Nasrin moved to strike yet again, aiming for the very obvious target of Lilith's side. As she swung with her right arm, Nasrin kicked her foot hard into the dirt floor, sending a shower of particles towards Lilith. With her left hand, Nasrin pulled her hidden dagger free of her sleeve and spun around Lilith while dust clouded the air. She stopped her movement behind the former Assassin, aiming her attack for Lilith's back.
She had put Lilth between herself and the spring, intent on driving Lilith into difficult terrain if this attack failed.

Lilith was caught by surprise when Nasrin kicked up a cloud of dust, some of which ended up in her eyes. Unable to see, Lilith had no choice but to edge back towards the spring, closing her eyes for a moment. She kicked some mud up at Nasrin, hoping to distract her for a moment before using her right leg to sweep at Nasrin's legs, hoping to knock her over and get her on the floor.


Cullen was watching the two women with a small smile. After all this time, Lilith still moved exactly like an Assassin. Granted, she wasn't as good as she used to be on account of old injuries, but she could still take down a Master Assassin without breaking a sweat. He couldn't help but imagine what she was like in her prime, back before her brothers turned on her.


Donahue was quite impressed with how well Nasrin was performing, taking on Lilith with such dirty tricks. He was thankful that she was on their side as she seemed like she would make a formidable enemy. He couldn't help but feel like father was right, beautiful things are deadly.

Nasrin managed to move out of the way of the mud, though Lilith's distraction worked and the spy was knocked to the ground. She realized her mistake, quickly trying to predict where the next attack would fall.
She rolled to the side, keeping her arms tucked against her body. She stayed low to the ground, taking a defensive stance, crouched against the dirt. She would wait for the attack to come to her. Redirect the energy if she could.

Lilith leapt at Nasrin, sword raised and at the ready, planning to use her bodyweight to increase the strength of the blow. Donahue watched for a moment before he decided to say something.
"Be careful, Nasrin. You're where she wants you." Cullen watched the two women fight with a small smile. He had never seen Lilith fight, but he had heard things about her, things he hoped weren't true. Perhaps he should speak with Donahue some time?

Donahue's words didn't make Nasrin lose her focus. Lilith had attacked just as she thought she would, now it fell to Nasrin to successfully execute what she had planned. As Lilith swung her blow down, Nasrin spun out of the way, letting the blade strike the ground instead of her. As she finished her spin, Nasrin swung out with her own legs, using Lilith's trick against her as the Assassin landed.

Lilith landed in the dirt with a loud thud, and she couldn't help but laugh; she hadn't expected Nasrin to be such a fast learner. Lilith rose to her feet, and held the sword at her side, proud of how well Nasrin had performed.
"I think that should be good enough to take on Altaïr" Lilith said with a chuckle. "If you want to continue training, then maybe try your luck against Donahue? "

Nasrin was shocked at the comment, but she alsp doubted that Lilith had the intent to harm her the way Altaïr might. She didn't have the reflexes or the strength of an Assassin, had just gotten lucky and her wot had carried her through. Still, she was thankful to Lilith for helping her. "You're too kind, Lilith. Thank you for teaching me. Hopefully I won't need to cross blades with the Assassin."
She looked over to Donahue at Lilith's suggestion, part of her excited at the thought. He would have reach and strength over her, something most Assassins would also have the advantage on. It would be good for her to try and face him. Besides that, Nasrin would be lying if she said she wasn't interested in seeing him fight. "If the good sir Knight is willing." She smiled, a little challenge in her golden eyes.

Donahue smiled, and bowed slightly towards Nasrin in a small show of respect.
"It would be an honour, lady Shawar" Donahue said with a sly smile before grabbing a sword and shield. He took up a defensive stance not too far from Nasrin, and hit his sword against his shield. "Whenever you're ready." Lilith sat on a chest near Cullen, and watched the two eagerly. She knew that Donahue would go easy on Nasrin as he could very well kill her otherwise.

Nasrin didn't appreciate the way her heart flipped when Donahue moved closer to her, taking a calming breath and holding her khopesh ready at her side. Now was no time for such distractions, she knew that.  She returned the Knight's bow, taking care to hide her affection. She only succeeded in part, her lips twisting into a warm smile.
Focus, she reminded herself.
An opponent with a shield would be difficult. She'd need to create an opening somehow. So, as something of an experiment, Nasrin struck at Donahue's legs with as much speed as she could muster.

Donahue quickly brought his shield down to block Nasrin's strike to his legs whilst raising his sword horizontally to block any blows to his upper body. He looked up at Nasrin with a small smile before raising his shield quickly, hoping to knock her in her chest in an attempt to push her back.

Nasrin's eyes went wide as she dodged out of the way, muffling a curse when Donahue's shield caught her in the side. She stumbled, thankfully catching her footing before she was sent to the ground. She put some distance between herself and the knight, weighing her options. She would never match him in strength, that much she knew. It would have to be speed and cleverness if she hoped to stand against him.
So, Nasrin moved in again, sticking to Donahue's shield side to better avoid his sword. She struck again, this time going in at an angle to try and bypass the shield.

Donahue quickly jumped back in an attempt to fodge the blow, but despite his efforts, Nasrin's kopesh just managed to scrape his armour, leaving a small scratch in its wake.
"Not bad, Nas" Donahue said with a small smile. He seemed reluctant to use his sword against her, as was shown by him trying to knock her down with his shield again. Donahue moved away from Nasrin before charging at her with his shield raised.

Nasrin, for all of her training as a spy, didn't hide her surprise when she managed to scrape Donahue's armor. She was quick to recover, managing to fully dodge the shield bash.  "My thanks, sir Knight." she grinned back, though that smile quickly disappeared when Donahue charged her.  Still, she noticed that Donahue seemed to be holding something back.
Nasrin evaded to the side, feeling the rush of air as Donahue passed her. She swung at the Knight's back, in much the same way she'd seen other Templars attack while training.