#(Pressed Flowers) ::Evie & Henry

[corvus-the-trickster]

Oh you DO get to see the proposal? I need to find all the side quests to watch then. Unless you know where I can find it. I don't have a system to play it on so I'm used to walkthroughs so I wonder if I could find the proposal scene? 🤔.

I meant they "broke up" during that one mission where Henry gets captured ("change of plans" I thought the mission was? I'd have to double check) and Evie decides to save him instead of getting info and tells him to stay back at the train / go see Nightingale for a concussion. Later in "family politics" we see Evie make that moment of "don't allow personal feelings to compromise the mission/ what a mistake" (to fall for Henry). So I thought that was them sorta breaking off their partnership?

Here's the proposal cutscene

There's another cutscene before this after five or ten pressed flowers where they discuss flower language.

See i took that mission as them starting to fall for each other and Evie realising it but they weren't together yet, not even courting.

[torntruth]

also,   new  things  i’m  learning  on  replay:   [  also  don’t  read  on  if  you  don’t  want  any  spoilers  because  of  the  couple  of  people  i  now  got  into  the  game  lmao ]

-  henry  did,   in  fact,  propose  to  evie. -  lydia  trained  with  evie,   not  jacob.    so  the  assumption  here  is  that  everyone  thought  it  would  be  the  wisest  decision  to  send  lydia  to  india  with  evie,  henry,  and  the  indian  brotherhood. -   ...   and  i  feel  like  that’s  because  jacob  trained  jack  and  after  that  probably  couldn’t  train  another  prodigal  assassin  without  immense  guilt.  -   also  i  missed  a  lot  because  i  didn’t  know  there  were  options  to  speak  to  henry  ( who’s  chilling  on  the  train )   at  random  intervals.   he  actually  personally  asks  evie  to  collect  all  the  pressed  flowers.   and  i  like  that  because  for  once  a  game  that  has  you  collecting  random  ass  things  not  only  has  a  final  cutscene  but  a  big  meaning  behind  it.

[shelbeetaylor]

Chapter Twenty-Two | Castle of Flowers

-> story masterpost

-> previous chapter

Everything had gone according to plan. Gena had very quickly taken up Evie's offer to go home early and had slipped out of the castle moments after she asked, leaving Evie, Wes, Civarn, and the volunteers with plenty of time to set up. All of the decorating went so smoothly, the crew managing to cover the entire castle in a matter of hours while everyone was asleep. Early in the morning when Gena arrived for work, Civarn promised to keep an eye on her until she woke up Evie. He promised that Gena only ever entered by way of the servant’s passages, but he said he’d keep up with her just to make sure the surprise wasn’t ruined. So far it seemed that he had kept his word.

Evie had to attend court once again– it seemed Auntie Ginny really wanted to get her attending more court gatherings since in the past week she’d been to one almost every day- so she was up bright and early to get ready for it. Early morning wasn’t necessarily her favorite time of the day, but it felt good to be up at this time. She was always so much more satisfied with herself at the end of the day, she felt a lot more productive by the time she went to bed. Besides, getting up early wasn’t all that bad, just a little difficult in the first five minutes.

Anyways, Gena seemed to be a lot more… calm this morning. Like, she had been on edge all day the day before until she just broke down which obviously was not the most shining calm moment of the day. She didn’t quite seem happy, and maybe at peace was the wrong phrase… but calm seemed to fit. It was also certainly easier for Gena to fake a smile, though some of the ones that she gave Evie that morning seemed genuine.

Gena sat Evie down in front of the vanity after dressing her in a soft pink dress. Gena began brushing and braiding back the sides of Evie's hair, pulling the amber curls out of her face so she wouldn’t have to worry about them. A few stray, shorter curls popped out, of course, and fell onto her face anyway. Evie fumbled with some of the new jewelry that Auntie Ginny had gotten her, debating how long she would wait until she tried to talk to Gena about her feelings.

“Were you deciding what to wear for jewelry or did you want help?” Gena asked her as she gently ran a brush through one side of hair. 

“Oh, no,” Evie replied, setting down the jewelry in her hands. “Whatever you think best is fine.”

“I’ll take a look after I finish with your hair.”

The room was filled with dead air for a moment before Evie finally came to a decision. “Gena?”

“Yes?”

Evie pressed her lips together, then got out, “Are you… Do you wanna talk about yesterday?” Gena didn't get upset like Evie was expecting. Her mood didn’t even mysteriously shift into the weirdly standoffish vibe that accompanied a disdain towards talking about a situation she didn’t want to. It seemed like she was expecting the question, honestly. Evie tried to explain herself, “You just seemed really sad, and I don’t like it when people are sad.”

Gena smiled at Evie as she began braiding again. “I know. I needed some time to myself before I talked about it.”

“Sorry.”

“For what?” 

“Pushing.”

Gena chuckled softly and sadly, “It’s okay. I know you only meant the best.”

“So… you wanna tell me what happened now?”

“It’s not really much. The whole Valoran issue has messed with my head.”

Evie's brows furrowed. “Isn’t it just an official visit?”

“Yes, well…” Gena sighed. “You know why this is all happening right?”

“All I know is the king’s son died,” Evie told her.

Gena nodded in response. “The story isn’t happy, are you sure you want me to tell you?”

“Mm-hm.”

Gena’s smile was small. “Okay.” She kept her hands focused on braiding Evie's long hair. “So, a year ago Prince Henri, the king’s son, asked for help liberating a village from raiders that had been terrorizing the outlying villages in Valoran.”

“Could he not gather his own forces?”

“No, Valoran was engaged in a war against another kingdom, so resources were low.”

“What did Auntie Ginny say?”

“She couldn’t provide the men to help either,” Gena said. “We were in the height of the rebels’ resurgence in the south, so we were sending all of our armies to hold onto the vital outlying regions we’ve now lost. Cassandra and Theo took matters into their own hands, as per usual, so me, Civarn, and the two of them headed off to Draves to help Prince Henri  drive off an entire band of raiders.”

“Just you five?”

Gena raised her eyebrows, “Yes.”

“Well, obviously you guys won.”

“We won, but at what cost?” Gena almost muttered to herself. “We enlisted the help of the villagers, some of them had created a militia to defend against the raiders. It was us five and a few self-taught fighters against something like forty men. The battle was brutal, so many innocent people fighting to simply live their lives in peace were hurt and killed.”

“So, that’s how the prince died?”

Gena nodded gravely. “He, um…” Her voice had dropped into a hoarse whisper that cracked as she tried getting out the words. “Cassandra was there when he was killed. She…”

Evie waited for a moment to see if Gena was going to finish. “She what?’

Gena shook her head, “You don’t want to know what she did.” Just by the tone of Gena’s voice, Evie knew she should not ask about that.

“You’re sad about his death still,” Evie concluded. “This whole thing has brought up those feelings.”

Gena took a deep breath, “Not even that.” She tried to speak again, but couldn’t quite find the words. Instead, she sat on the other side of the vanity bench, her back facing the mirror. “Cassandra didn’t take me with her.”

“Oh.”

“It’s not like you think,” Gena explained. “She didn’t take me with her, and I know that if Theo and Bastien weren’t forced to go, then she would be alone in Bellesailles.”

“Yeah, Cassie didn’t strike me as the feeling-sharing type of person,” Evie tried to joke, getting a breathy, singular chuckle from Gena.

“I know that even though she doesn’t want to, she needs to be around her friends right now.It still hurts that she won’t accept it and push us away instead. I also would’ve liked to be there and grieve. He was my friend too. I don’t know, I guess going to Bellesailles I hoped would give me some sort of closure.”

“That’s totally understandable,” Evie told her, “but, you know, she’s not alone. She has Teddy and Bastien, and now she’s technically Crown Princess of Valoran. I’m sure she could take you there whenever you want or need, and so closure is still an option.”

Gena nodded, looking down at her lap and smiling sadly. “I appreciate that a lot.”

Evie shrugged, “I do my best.”

Gena laughed, a little bit teary-eyed. “Should we pick out jewelry for you now?”

“Wait.” Evie's mouth grew into a wide grin. “First, I have some surprises for you. Well, one surprise for now and another one later.”

“Ooookay?”

Evie got up from the bench and reached under her bed, pulling out a small wooden chest that sat underneath, It was the same one that she had brought all the way from Wystwillow, the one that so lovingly carried the things she was able to escape with. Now, it was repurposed, and she flipped open the lid to reveal the flower crown she had made.

“Yesterday I was hanging out with Wes, and we went through the gardens,” Evie began.

“Wes…? As in Wesley Moonbourne, Theo’s cousin?”

“Mm-hm! We ran into each other in the library.”

Gena made a face like she wasn’t quite expecting that to be their meeting place, but she shook her head. “Sure.”

“Well, we picked a lot of flowers, aaaaaaaaand I made you this.”

Evie presented the crown to Gena, who gasped and covered her mouth upon seeing it. “Oh, Evie, this is beautiful!”

“Thank you,” Evie smiled. “I thought you could wear it today.”

Gena grinned back, taking the crown delicately in her hands and setting it onto her mousy brown curls. The white and orange and yellow and purple petals looked beautiful on her, complementing her skin and her faded yellow dress. Some of the embroidery on the dress had threads the same color as some of the flowers in the crown. The crown wasn’t the only reason Gena looked pretty though, the smile on her face was so pure and genuine that it was physically impossible for her not to be beautiful.

Gena sat down at the vanity for a moment, adjusting the crown slightly so it would sit just right on her head. “This is really gorgeous, Evie. Thank you.”

“If you ever want another one, I like making them.”

“I will never turn down a flower crown.”

“That’s good to know.” Gena turned back to a smiling Evie, satisfied with the placement of her flower crown then looking at Evie's outfit for a moment. “You know, I think this dress looks better without jewelry. Are you ready otherwise for court?”

“Mm, yeah, I think so.”

“No flower crown for yourself?” Gena joked.

Evie gasped in response, throwing out her hands, “Wait! I forgot! Let me grab mine so we can match!” Evie ran over to her desk where she left her flower crown sitting overnight, and she threw it on her head before running back to Gena. “Okay, I’m good now.”

Gena chuckled, gently adjusting the crown on Evie's head before smiling and saying, “Let’s go.” Gena got barely three steps into the hall before she gasped, covering her mouth with a hand.

Evie spotted Civarn and Wes hiding out in a corner just a few steps away, Wes stifling some laughter as Civarn gave a goofy two thumbs up. The princess shook her head with a giant smile on her face, asking Gena, “You like the new decorations?”

The hallway was filled to overflowing with flowers. The big display, of course, was the thick, long garlands strung back and forth across the ceiling, rows and rows of whites and oranges, yellows and purples as far as the eye could see. There were strands hanging on the wall intertwined with bits of greenery– Wes’s idea, actually– and every crevice that Evie could find held a vase with lilies and a couple other flowers for pops of color in the arrangements.

“What is all of this?”

“An idea I had to help cheer you up,” Evie told her.

“This is all for me?” Gena seemed to be in a little bit of disbelief.

“Yeah! I had Civarn ,” Evie waved at Wes and Civarn, “ask some of the castle staff to help out, and we did the entire castle like this.”

Gena pressed her lips together and stated more than asked, “You did all this when I went home early?”

Evie pointed at her. “That’s why you were sent home early.”

Gena sighed. “I… I don’t even know what to say.”

“Maybe let’s start with going to court? I don’t think Auntie Ginny will be as understanding about why we’re late.”

Gena chuckled softly. “You’re right. Let’s get going.”

As the two traversed the halls to the throne room, members of the staff that had helped out made brief, passing conversation with Gena. Things like hoping she liked the flowers, hoping she felt better, offers of support. Gena would always just smile and say thanks, but Evie could see how wide she was grinning at the ground like she was trying to hide how much it really made her happy. And that made Evie so so so happy. She’d done her job.

Auntie Ginny didn’t even bat her eyes when Evie walked in wearing flowers on her head, and the court gathered without any sort of disturbance, but she did lean over to Evie and whisper, “Is there a particular reason the castle is suddenly covered in flowers?”

Evie just beamed and replied, “It’s a long story.”

Auntie Ginny nodded, her brow furrowing a little before beginning the gathering.

-> next chapter

[imthejudge]

she was like a rose with her inimitable beauty, 

and wore daggers like thorns to prove it

[thatcrazycrowgirl]

So, funny story from a recent Syndicate play session: I approached Henry Greene on the train as Jacob, after getting all of the pressed flowers, so I could trigger the proposal cutscene between Henry and Evie. The scene itself played out normally, but for some reason, right as soon as it was over, the screen went all red, Jacob collapsed to the floor of the train, and the next thing I know I was desynchronized! WTF? I’ve never had that happen before! Guess Jacob couldn’t handle the news of his sister getting engaged. 🤣🤣🤣 (I’m still mad at myself for not at least getting a quick screenshot, but it just happened so suddenly, that I barely had time to react.)

But that leads me to my question for all of you:

What’s the strangest thing that’s ever happened to you when you were playing any of the Assassin’s Creed games?

Feel free to shoot your answers into my inbox! (Or if you have any videos or screenshots, you can submit those as well!) I’d love to see them! 😁

[chika-the-terrible]

New little snippet idea. While I love Werewolves and I can totally see Jacob as one, I raise you a different were-creature: Weresnake!Jacob.

Why? Because I thought it might be nice to have a different were-creature than usual, and I’d also love the antics that would come with it. Sorry for the long post, but here are some of my ideas. Such as:

Evie and Jacob learning to use his venom with their weapons for extra lethal options, among other things. Maybe they even have a dart similar to the hallucinogenic before being introduced to Aleck, and so they have two dart options afterward. They also coat their blades in the venom if they’re planning on quickly making their way towards a target without much fuss, since not much venom is needed to kill someone in a short amount of time, and they don’t have to aim for the vitals to inflict a fatality. Just a small cut and go, and no one is the wiser.

Evie being a snake expert, because she has to be one if she wants to deal with her twin while he’s half snake. And Henry doesn’t know what to think of it when she handles poisonous Indian snakes so easily, even ones given as gifts to Maharaja Singh. Like, he’s trying not to assume, but she’s an Englishwoman from the London countryside. There’s only one poisonous snake in England and its bite isn’t that dangerous to people. Unless she’s a snake fanatic or something, Henry finds it a bit suspicious that she gets along with Indian snakes so well.

Jacob kinda forcing a slight change sometimes to bring out his eyes or scales. The scales to provide some extra protection, and the eyes freak people out. Jacob loves messing with his enemies especially with his eyes. They don’t know what to make of it, they let their guard down, and Jacob takes advantage. He also ‘scales up’ at least once to protect Evie from blows, even if she can take care of herself, but it still holds an impact between them.

Jacob has more than just the bird tattoo. He also has a snake one curling around his right forearm, where he was bitten as a child. He survived, but the snake bite left a lasting impact, i.e. the curse. As soon as he was old enough, he got both tattoos: The Rook for his caged freedom, and the Adder for his other side that he wishes he didn’t have but he celebrates anyway because it’s still a part of him and it’s helpful.

Jacob doesn’t have Eagle Vision like Evie, not anymore. His vision relies more on heat, so it’s harder for him to pick out people in a hot place, such as with a chimney. He also has a terrible sense of smell unless he sticks his tongue out, but since that’s gross, he disguises to gesture as part of his teasing, childish nature. But with all the stink in London, Jacob finds he’s glad for his bad sense of smell.

Evie keeps a box of little treasures she’s gathered over the years, and one of the things in there are a few reptile scales. They’re large, dark brown, and stiff, about the size of golfballs, and they represent Jacob’s first transformation. Henry sees them one time, maybe while he and Evie are doing the flower pressing, and he asks about them. Evie kinda closes off a little, calls it a private matter, and Henry lets it go. He’s still curious about whatever was big enough to make those scales but he knows better than to push on something Evie is uncomfortable with at this point in time.

Henry doesn’t learn that Jacob is part snake until shortly before the confrontation with Starrick. I like to play the sections in order, so my thought is that Jacob just finished up with Roth by the time Section 9 starts, which is why he’s so angry when he meets up with Evie and why they have such a big fight. Henry calms Evie down while Jacob’s away and so the twins have a chance to talk and apologize before the evening with Starrick and Jacob lets it slip that Roth figured out his secret. This makes Henry curious but when Evie asks him to leave, he does so and the twins discuss it. It doesn’t come up again until they realize that Starrick’s plan was going to happen on a full moon night and so Henry had to take Jacob’s place. Evie does a quick explanation why Henry had to sub in and only explains the whole thing after, and Henry is left with many more questions than answers.

Evie and Jacob are lucky to get the train before the first full moon, because they couldn’t find a good place for Jacob to stay for those nights. But once they have the train, they take an old abandoned cattle car and outfit it with locks and so he has that for his nights. Evie usually joins him and reads by candlelight because she knows he hates being alone those nights.

Jacob loves to fight but has to learn to control himself so he doesn’t accidentally rip off anyone’s arm or something during the illegal fighting matches. Still, it impresses the Rooks and they want to learn to fight like him and it does things to Jacob’s ego like nothing else. He does teach them easier moves, though, because they don’t have the supernatural strength like he does and so can’t do the same things. On the other hand, when someone really pisses him off (i.e. Pearl and Roth) Jacob doesn’t hold back.

Nobody really figures out Jacob has a snake side until Roth, who makes a point of it to know everything about his enemies. And sure, it’s very hard to figure out, especially with next to no information mentioning anything weird about Jacob’s past, but Roth manages to stumble across what he thinks is the truth by the time Jacob comes to kill him. He’s not right, but he’s close, and it terrifies Jacob a bit, to the point where he shows his snake eyes unintentionally and hisses before he kills Roth, with this being Jacob’s final line:

“You don’t know me as I really am, and you never will.”

However, some of Roth’s findings get passed onto Starrick, who tries to find a way to fit that to his advantage, and he does by preparing to grab the Shroud the same night as the full moon. Jacob’s basically taken out of the fight immediately in Evie’s point of view because of that but Jacob knows the importance of the Shroud and insists going along anyway. Henry, however, has to take Jacob’s place in escorting Evie to the event and so they get a chance to dance a little before swinging into action.

Eventually, they track Starrick to the tomb and it’s Jacob who comes to the rescue, but in his snake form, where he manages to bite through the Shroud and poison Starrick. It’s my thought that supernatural things cancel each other out in the AC universe, so while Starrick doesn’t die from the poison, the Shroud can’t heal any of the other injuries he sustains because it’s still trying to deal with the wounds Jacob made. Evie and Henry work together to kill Starrick and once he’s dead, Evie has to calm Jacob down and they get him out of the tomb in time for the sunrise, where they have to find him some clothes before they come across the Queen, leading to their knighthood.

Later, Henry asks Evie why they didn’t take the Shroud with them to possibly help Jacob. Because, if it can heal wounds, why not fix a curse? And Evie shakes her head, pointing out several things. 1) The Shroud was too much for any one person to use, certainly not for selfish reasons, 2) The cancellation of the Shroud and Jacob’s poison was a sign that maybe the Shroud wouldn’t help much, and 3) Jacob was fine with his snake side, so there was no reason to change the status quo. In fact, if Jacob hadn’t bitten Starrick, they may have lost the fight. So, in a way, they owe a bit of a debt to the Adder, and Henry can’t fault that, nor can he fault any of the other reasons. That doesn’t mean he can’t speculate, though.

Masterpost

[writtenjewels]

Source: https://deadlysequence.tumblr.com/post/649919580025864192/just-a-scene-of-henry-and-maxwell-bonding-over

Jayadeep finished the notations below the flower petal with a satisfied flourish. His new book of pressed flowers was coming along nicely. He couldn't wait to show Evie later. He heard footsteps but the weight of it didn't belong to either of the Frye twins. Instinctively he moved his hand toward his kukri as he turned to face the intruder.

“Oh. Mr. Roth, it's you.” He had to force his body to relax. Despite Jacob's assurances, it was difficult for Jayadeep to see Maxwell Roth as something of an ally.

“Forgive me if I disturbed you,” Roth said. “I was only coming in to borrow a book. Jacob assured me you had an extensive library.” There was no denying that, though he wished Jacob had asked first before sending his lover over. But he could find no logical reason to protest the former Blighter leader perusing his shelves. Jayadeep decided to leave him to it and concentrated on his own task.

Roth plucked something off the shelf in a matter of moments and was back to hovering over Jayadeep's shoulder. “How lovely.” The comment seemed genuine enough that Jayadeep held up the book for Roth to examine closer. The older man took it and began flipping through the pages.

“Do you press flowers, Mr. Roth?”

“I don't have the patience for it,” Roth admitted with a shrug. How like Jacob, Jayadeep thought with an amused smile. “But I can appreciate the art behind it, and I can see that you've found quite a few already. If I'm not mistaken, pressing flowers was what you and Miss Frye bonded over.”

“That, and the language.” Jayadeep flipped back a few pages. “You see this one? It's the flower I gave her when I proposed.”

“That's very ingenious. I don't know Miss Frye well, but I imagine she loved it.” Jayadeep nodded, thinking back to that day with fondness. “Something I've noticed about both the Fryes,” Maxwell continued, “is they love gestures that show you know them well. You won Miss Frye's heart by speaking the language of flowers; I won Jacob's with a set of copper knuckles.”

Jayadeep's lip twitched; it was all too easy to picture Jacob swooning over a weapon. And he couldn't deny that in both cases, he and Roth had expressed that they loved their partner in their own way.

“How...” He was already questioning the wisdom of finishing the sentence, but he did it anyway. “How did Jacob win your heart?”

“Oh, I expect it's the same way Evie won yours: by being brave.” Jayadeep was a bit startled by this and stared at Roth. “Once I spent more time with him, it was everything else: his charm, his wit, his zest for life, his passion.”

“They are very alike, aren't they?” Jayadeep commented wryly. “They even both fell in love with men they worked with.” Roth's response was an amused smirk. “What book did you choose?” Jayadeep wondered. Roth obligingly showed him the title. “Jane Austen? Really?”

“I like her social commentary,” Roth shrugged.

“How... unexpected. I hope you enjoy it, Mr. Roth.”

“Jayadeep,” Roth began, startling the other man by using his real name, “I hope some day you will be comfortable with calling me Maxwell. We're practically brothers-in-law, after all.”

“I haven't thought of it like that. You and Jacob...” He felt too awkward to say anything more.

“If I decide to propose, you'll be the one I'll consult,” Roth assured him.

Jayadeep had no idea what to say to that, and thankfully Roth left him alone to spare him from a response. He let out a breath once the man was gone. Honestly, he and Jacob were perfect for each other.

[bxcketbarnes]

Assassin-To-Be (Assassin’s Creed Syndicate AU)

Pairing: Assassin!Luke x Reader (1880's Victorian London)

Words: 7300+

Author's Note: so, a few months ago I decided to do an Assassin's Creed Syndicate AU with Luke. Cause his fake death scene in No Shame made him look like an assassin sneaking around. This is my masterpiece. I love it. I hope you do too.

A few things to cover- Templar's are a group of bad people. Starrick is the head boss of the Templar's in London and they're trying to find the Shroud. Which is a giant scarf that provides the person wearing it immortality. Blighters are a gang that works for the Templars.

You and Jack finally moved into the small apartment the two of you have been looking at since you arrived in London.

Although, since you moved here you've noticed Jack's been a bit distant. He hasn't really shown any affection towards you in almost two weeks.

You studied him for days, noticing him coming home late from work more frequently. You sometimes even stayed out late yourself, just to see if he cared. He didn't. 

-

The curly blonde shivers as the wind smack him in the face while stepping off of the boat. His blue eyes look around the area before a sigh escapes his lips. "Here we go," he mumbles and heads towards the stone stairs that lead to the streets.

Henry Green and two other assassins, Jacob and Evie Frye, stand at the top of the stairs and watch the Australian make his way towards them.

"This is the guy?" A scruffy English voice asks and Henry looks over at Jacob.

"Yeah. This is the guy. Luke Hemmings. The best assassin in Australia. He's a key to stopping the Templars."

-

You were heading home from your day at Alexander Graham Bell's shop, always intrigued in watching him work. You met him during your shopping one day, literally running into him and dropping all the vegetables you had in your arms. Since then the two of you have become quite good friends, spending most of your days with him.

You wrap your shawl around your shoulders, shivering at the chilly wind as you walk down the dim streets. You made it to your apartment an hour later and you just couldn't wait to slip into bed.

"Jack! I'm home," you call out while closing the front door behind you. A woman's moan stops you in your tracks and you look towards your bedroom. "Jack?"

You walk towards the bedroom and a gasp leaves your lips upon seeing your boyfriend fucking another woman. Both of them look over at you, Jack's eyes becoming wide as he pulls away from the other woman.

"Y/N-"

"Fuck you," you mutter, feeling the tears come to your eyes as you swallow the lump in your throat. "You're such a fucking cunt I don't know why I stayed with you."

You're seething as you slap him across the face, huffing, and puffing before walking out of your apartment. You cross your arms over your chest as you make your way to the hotel that's a few blocks down the street.

You sniffle while walking down the uneven cobblestone street, being careful not to hurt yourself. You're wiping the tears off your face when a man comes out from an alley beside you.

"Hello, sweetness. Aren't you a cute little thing," his thick accent compliments and you go to move around him when his hand stops you, grabbing ahold of your wrist. "Hold on, I'm not done with you."

You begin to struggle in his grip as he tugs you into the alley before pressing you against the wall. "Please," you beg, wanting to get away from him and he laughs wickedly, one of his hands grabbing my breast. You cry out, doing everything in your power to get away from the man dressed in red. "Stop!"

Luke was running along the rooftops when he heard your voice. He stops in his tracks, skidding along the damp rooftops before heading closer towards your screams. The blonde peeks over the side, seeing a blighter try to assault you in a sexual way.

He growls a bit, growing hatred towards the man in question. Luke flicks out his hidden blade before jumping down from the roof, landing on top of the blighter.

The man lets out a groan as Luke kneels above him, his hidden blade embedded in his chest. "Scum," he whispers harshly before pulling the blade out, seeing the life drain from the blighter's eyes.

You watch with wide eyes before moving away from the wall, needing to get away from here. You end up tripping over your feet, falling to the ground and Luke looks up at you. He takes a step towards you and you pant heavily while backing away from him.

Luke puts his hands up as you continue to scurry away from him on the damp sidewalks. "Hey, hey," he mutters and crouched slightly, "I'm not gonna hurt you. I promise."

You stare up at the hooded man, your chest heaving rapidly. "W-Who are you?" You ask him as he pushes the black hood off of his head, exposing the blonde curls underneath it.

"I'm Luke. Luke Hemmings."

"You...you killed that man," you remind him and his blue eyes dart towards the now dead blighter on the ground.

He scratches the back of his head, his curls swaying in the London breeze. "Yeah, yeah. I did," Luke mumbles and rubs his hands together. "To be fair-"

"To be fair?!" You draw out, cutting him off from speaking with wide eyes. "What justification is there for killing a man?!"

The blonde sighs and looks over your facial features, noticing the terrified look in your eyes. "Yes. When he's working for a sick man and for trying to take advantage of a beautiful woman, like yourself," he explains, and your mouth parts slightly.

"Okay… you're not wrong there, I guess." You breathe out as your cheeks become a bit red.

Luke lets out a chuckle and holds out a hand for you to grab. You look up at him before darting your eyes towards his hand for a moment. "C'mon," he class and tilts his head to the side, "you can trust me."

You nod your head and grab a hold of his hand. Luke pulls you off the ground and you wipe the dirt and mud off the back of your dress the best you could.

"Thank you, Luke," you mumble and he grins, nodding his head.

"Not a problem, love. Just doing my job more or less," he shrugs and you hum in response.

"What is your job? If you don't mind me asking," you question him and Luke sighs slightly before looking around. "Wha-"

"Hold onto me," he states and your eyes widen. You try to form a sentence when Luke takes a step towards you. "If you want to know my job, you'll grab a hold of me."

You swallow thickly and nod once, reaching out to wrap your arms around his neck. Luke raises his hand in the sky and your eyes move to it when a metal wire shoots out from the gauntlet that's on his hand. A scream leaves your lips as the two of you thrust into the air, Luke's hand gripping onto you tightly.

The two of you land onto the roof and you hold your hands out to balance yourself, eyes wide as you glance down. "What the…?" You mumble and look back over at Luke, looking over the clothes he was wearing.

The trench coat has blue accents in it and seems to split into two once it goes past his ass. Under the trench coat was a navy blue vest that was tucked into his high waisted pants with a collared shirt that was slightly unbuttoned. The gauntlet on his arm shines in the moonlight as it stops just below his elbow. Even looking at him you had no idea who he was.

"I'm… I'm an assassin," he informs you while motioning towards the clothes he was wearing. You stare at him with wide eyes for what feels like the millionth time before shaking your head.

"This is crazy," you whisper to yourself and run your fingers through your hair, "t-th-there's no way you're an assassin. That's not… that's not a thing."

Luke let's out a laugh and rests his hands on his hips. "It's real. I'm standing right in front of you. There are three other assassins that are living in a train in London," he tells you and you're in utter shock.

"Wow…" you whisper and tucks a strand of hair behind your ear. "So, uhm, you plan to get me down right?"

He grins widely and nods his head. "Of course. I'm not going to leave you stranded up here," he chuckles and wraps his arm around your waist again.

You grip onto his trench coat, watching him as he points his hand towards a five-foot bring wall. You try to keep in the scream, but it comes out anyway. A laugh leaves your lips afterward as the wind flows through your dark hair.

Your feet connect with the ground and you stumble a bit, grabbing a hold of him to keep my footing. "Okay, I gotta say… that's fun?" It comes out like a question and you chuckle.

Luke smiles down at you, admiring the look on your face. He found you to be really cute, the entire time you were holding onto him he couldn't stop inhaling the perfume you were wearing. You smell like flowers. He swallows thickly and places a hand on your forearm.

"Why were you out so late?" He asks in concern and the smile drops from your face.

"Uhm, my now ex-boyfriend was making love to someone else in our bed," you tell him with a frown and clear your throat. "So, I was walking towards the hotel."

The blonde nods his head, noticing your defeated look and he lands a hand on your arm. "I'm sorry you had to deal with that. He definitely doesn't deserve you from what I can tell," he mumbles and you look up at him, your eyes meeting his blue ones.

"You don't know me, though," you whisper and Luke shrugs his shoulders, dropping his hand from your arm.

"I have a knack for reading people and I can tell that you're a good person. Can I… can I walk you to the hotel? Or, would you… would you want to stay at our hideout? It's very safe. He wouldn't be able to find you," he mentions with a tilt of his head and you stare up at him in shock.

This man you just met. Who kills people for a living. Invited you to stay at the train hideout with three other assassins. You would be safer there most likely. Jack was always the type to follow after an argument. You nod your head at his offering and Luke lets out a sigh of relief, grabbing a hold of your hand before heading towards an empty carriage.

"Hop in, m'lady," he smiles and opens the carriage door for you. You giggle and curtsy before climbing into the buggy.

-

You hide behind Luke a bit once you get onto the train, glad to see no one in sight. "Are you sure they're going to be okay with me being here?" You ask the blonde and he looks down at you.

"Yeah, I'm sure. I mean, I don't see a problem with you staying here," he mumbles and shrugs his shoulders. You stifle a laugh, gripping his arm as he leads you through the different train cars. "You can stay in the room I'm sleeping in. I'll sleep somewhere else."

"Luke," you reach out and grab him, stopping him from leaving the room. "I-Can you stay with me?"

The blonde stares down at you as you chew on your bottom lip, not wanting to be alone in a train with skilled killers. "Yeah, yeah," he whispers and lays a comforting hand on yours. "I'll be right here."

He sits down in a chair beside the bed after taking off his trench coat, setting it on the desk. You slide onto the bed and lie down, your eyes staring up at the ceiling as you try to calm your nerves. "Luke," you whisper out one last time and you hear him hum in response, "thank you for saving me tonight."

Luckily once you passed out you slept like an absolute baby. Nothing disturbed your sleep throughout the night. Not even the sound of the train constantly running. The time was nearing seven in the morning when you woke up, stretching your arms while sitting up in the bed.

"Hell," you whisper and swing your legs over the side before getting up. You glance over at the chair to see Luke's tall frame scrunched up, heavy breaths leaving his lips as he was still sound asleep.

You smile gently, noticing how cute he looks before grabbing your things and walking out of the train car. You quietly make your way through the train, seeing that you guys are almost near the train station in The Strand.

You stop dead in your tracks as you walk by a board with a bunch of pictures tacked to it along with strings connecting to each other. You furrow your brows together, taking everything in when a hand presses against your shoulder. A scream leaves your lips as you're roughly turned around, your back now pressed against the board.

"Who are you?" A deep voice rasps out and you can feel a cool blade press against your throat.

You look up at the man, seeing a scar in his eyebrow and his striking brown eyes. "I-I… my name's Y/N!"

Loud footsteps are heard and you glance towards the train car door to see Luke standing in the doorway. "Jacob! Stop!"

A gruff leaves his lips and presses the blade harder to my throat. "Why? She could be working for him?!" He states and looks over at the blonde.

Your body shakes in fear as Luke slowly walks towards the two of you, his hands out. "She doesn't. She didn't even know we existed!" Luke informs him and Jacob looks back at you, a skeptical look in his eyes before he pulls the blade away from your throat.

"What is she even doing here? If Evie finds out-"

"If Evie finds out what?" A woman's voice cuts him off and you twist your head to the left, seeing a woman your age standing in the room. "Who's this?" She asks while her eyes are set on you before moving back to the two men.

"This is Y/N. She had a bit of a dilemma last night and I offered for her to stay here so she was safe," Luke explains and Evie nods her head, stepping towards me.

"You alright?" She asks you and you swallow, nodding your head.

"Y-Yeah, yeah. Luke… saved my life last night from a-a blighter?" You question the name you've heard him call the men who dress in red and you glance towards the curly blonde to see him nod his head. "I was heading towards a hotel since my ex-boyfriend decided to, uhm, cheat on me with someone else in our home and the blighter came out of nowhere and tried to assault me."

Evie's eyes widen a bit and she rests her hand on my shoulder. "I'm so sorry. Are you okay?" She asks and you nod your head.

"I heard her screaming and managed to kill him before he got too far," Luke pipes up and you tuck a strand of hair behind your ear, the images from last night flashing through your mind. 

"At least you were in the vicinity. God knows what would've happened after he was done," she comments and your heart drops in your chest, shivering at the thought of it.

The train comes to a stop and you move to glance out the window to see that you made it to The Strand train station. "I'm…" you trail off and look back at the rest of the assassin's, "I'm gonna get going. Thank you, Luke. For everything." You smile at him before moving to step off the train. You heading straight towards the stairs that lead to the street when Luke's voice yells to you.

"Y/N! Wait!" You stop your movements, glancing over your shoulder to see the blonde running up to you. "Do you… do you need help finding a new place or what's going to happen?"

Your heart flutters at his words, surprised that this gorgeous man cares about you after just meeting you last night. Or maybe that's just his job.

"I-I guess I didn't really think of that. I think I'm just going to gather up my belongings and head to that hotel. It should be safer in the daytime, yeah?" You ask him, fiddling with your fingers as his blue eyes stare into yours.

"It should be. I would go with you, but we've got stuff we need to do today," Luke mutters and you nod your head, smiling softly.

"That's fine, Luke. I'll see you around maybe?" You question with a tilt of your head, praying that he says he will.

A smile comes to his pink lips, nodding his head. "Yeah, absolutely. You'll definitely see me around Alex's place," he comments and you nod your head.

"Perfect."

-

You rush through the streets of the borough you live in, The Strand, running as fast as your heeled boots could take you. The train station was in sight and you're beginning to feel out of breath from running so far, so fast.

News about a shootout between the Rooks and Blighters roam the streets in almost every borough. What had you worry the most was when you heard someone mention that a man dressed in a trench coat got shot.

Luke immediately came to your mind and you dropped what you were doing to head to the train station, hoping that their train would be at the station. You were in luck to see their train just pulling in when you reached the top of the stairs. You quickly run towards the train, hopping onto it as soon as it stops.

"Y/N?" Evie's voice calls out and you look over at the woman, your chest heaving rapidly.

"Is it… is it Luke?" You ask in a whisper and she nods her head. Your heart drops into your and she motions her hand, silently telling you to follow her.

Your heart beats a million miles a minute as the two of you walk into the room Luke is resting in. You swallow thickly as your eyes lay on Luke who's barely conscious. Evie heads back out of the room, leaving the two of you alone. You fiddle with your fingers before moving a chair near the bed.

Luke's face is a bit pale and you watch as his chest slowly rises and falls. He squirms a bit before turning his head towards you. "Y/N…?" He trails off in a whisper, a groan leaving his lips as one of his hands move to his side.

You nod your head, scooting closer as you give him a sad smile. "I'm here, Luke, I'm here," you mumble and rest one of your hands on his arm, rubbing gently.

The blonde-haired assassin grabs a hold of your hand, lacing his fingers with yours. "W-What are… what are you…" Luke struggles as you watch his blue eyes roll back into his head, heavy breaths leaving his lips.

You squeeze his hand, tears dancing along your waterline as you swallow the lump in your throat. "The shootout has been roaming around the streets and ran here as fast as I could. Get some rest, Luke. I'll be here when you wake up," you inform him and lean forward to kiss his forehead.

Luke hums as you comb your fingers through his curly locks and leans into your touch. "'m glad you're here…" he mumbles before nodding off. You wipe the tears that are streaming down your cheeks while keeping a close eye on him, in case he gets any complications from the "surgery."

Footsteps were heard from behind you and you glance over your shoulder to see Jacob standing in the train car doorway. "So, you ran about twenty blocks to see if he was okay?" He asks and you blush a bit before nodding your head. "You must really care for him then."

"I do. A lot more than I ever thought I would," you mumble and look back at Luke, stroking the back of his hand with your thumb.

"He's lucky to have you. I'm actually glad he brought you here that night," Jacob compliments and you smile back at him, giggling softly. "It's nice to have you around. I know Evie likes not being the only woman, that's for sure."

-

It's been almost a month since Luke got shot by a Templar and you wish he would take it easy still, but he's a stubborn man. The two of you walk down the streets of Westminster and he keeps a constant lookout for Blighters or Templars roaming the streets. You can feel his arm brush against yours every so often and you can't help but blush each time he does.

You two walk past the gate, standing at the base of Big Ben and your gaze moves upwards. "Are you sure about this?" You ask Luke as he tucks you into his side. He glances down at you, a smile on his lips while his ocean blue eyes twinkle.

"Of course, why?" Luke questions and you gently place your hand over his healed wound. His eyes move to your hand and then back to your face. "Y/N, I'm fine. I promise."

You sigh and run your fingers over the spot, feeling his clothing against your fingertips. Luke's finger hooks under your jaw, lifting your head to look up at him.

"Hey," he whispers and you hum in response, your fingers gripping his vest. "I'm gonna be okay, alright? You don't have to worry about me."

"I don't have to, but I do. I care about you, Luke. More than you know…" you trail off and he smiles softly while tucking a strand of hair behind your ear.

"I know how you feel, love. I care about you so much," Luke whispers while wrapping his arm around you, large hand gripping hold of your waist.

Your heart flutters in your chest as you smile up at him. You could hear his zipline go off and your eyes widen. A smirk comes to his lips as you wrap your arms around his neck, the two of you flinging into the air. You breathe heavily as you reach the top, Luke's hands gripping your hips as he helps you up.

Your breath hitches in your throat as you look at the view London gives. "Wow," you whisper and spin in a circle, taking everything in.

"Seems like maintenance broke the gate and haven't fixed it yet," Luke mentions while eyeing the open section. His fingertips drag along your lower back, his blue eyes set on you. "Be careful, okay?"

"Yeah, I will," you mumble while taking a step towards the open gate. The wind blows your hair back and you shiver a bit at the cold breeze. "This is incredible, Luke."

He chuckles from behind you and you look over your shoulder, smiling softly as his eyes are set on you. "I knew you would like it," Luke grins and you nod your head in agreement, glancing back out at the city.

Part of the building crumbles and you're too late to notice. "L-Luke!" You shriek as your foot gets caught in the rubble, your body falling through the open gate. Luke lurches forward and manages to grab your hand before you fell 315 feet.

"I got you…" he trails off, his blue eyes wide and he pulls you up. You collapse on top of him, gripping his trench coat tightly as your heart pounds in your chest. The two of you breathe heavily as your eyes meet, your faces inches from one another's. "I got you."

You close your eyes, letting out a sigh before resting your forehead against his. Luke brings a hand to your face, pushing some of your hair behind your ear. Your eyes flutter open, your breath hitching in your throat as you can see the adoration in his blue eyes.

"You're so beautiful, you know that?" He whispers and you blush, attempting to hide your face in his chest when Luke stops you from doing so.

You're almost panting as the blonde keeps you from hiding, his thumb stroking your cheekbone. The distance between your faces diminishes and your eyes flutter shut as his lips press against yours. One of your hands leaves his trench coat and combs through his hair, moving your lips against his.

Luke's hands move to your waist and grips slightly. Your heart pounds in your chest as you pull away, looking down at him. A smile comes to his lips and you slowly get off of him, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear.

The blonde sits up, his blue eyes looking over you for any cuts or injuries. "You okay?" He asks quietly and you chuckle, nodding your head.

"Yeah, yeah… guess I should've been more careful," you mumble and Luke laughs, getting onto his feet.

He holds out a hand and you grab onto it, Luke pulling you onto your feet as well. "I'd say I told you so, but I'll let it slide this time," he smiles softly and you giggle, wrapping your arms around his waist.

"Thank you," you mumble, resting your head on his chest. Luke kisses your head, his large hands resting on your back.

"It's no problem, Y/N/N. Can't have you dying on me. I like having you around," he tells you and you pick your head up, looking up at him. You melt at the dimpled smile on his face and he takes one of his hands to move some of your hair from your face.

You smile softly and fiddle with his trench coat. "I like being around you as well, Luke," you grin, and the blonde wraps his arms around you again, holding you against his chest.

"C'mon, let's get going," Luke mentions and you nod your head against his chest before pulling away from him.

-

"Why do I have to go to this ball?" You ask Evie as she fastens the buttons on the back of your dress.

"Because we feel that we'll need an extra pair of eyes," she states before pulling her hands away from you. You look at her through the mirror, running your hands down the Bordeaux-colored dress. "Plus, Luke's been training you right? So if we're in trouble we're going to need your help."

You nod your head at your words as you feel a bit nervous about actually having to fight someone who would kill you. A knock on your bedroom door snaps you from your thoughts, glancing towards the wooden object to see Luke standing in the doorway.

Your breath hitches in his throat as you take a good look at him. He wore a striking white waistcoat with a burgundy-colored undershirt, black slacks along with the same colored pumps, finishing it off with a black tailcoat. You can feel your hands becoming sweaty as Evie leaves the room, giving you a wink on her way out.

Luke's blue eyes dance over your outfit, really taking in how breathtaking you look. The dark color really complimented your skin tone. "You look stunning," he breathes out and takes a step towards you.

You fiddle with your hair and tuck some of the strays behind your ear. "You really think so? I've never… I've never been in such a fancy dress before," you chuckle softly and Luke smiles down at you.

"You definitely should more often. I'll have to get you some-"

"Luke! No, no. You're not going to get me anything. When I can afford it, I'll buy some," you cut him off and res one of your hands on his forearms. "At least, for now, I own this."

He nods his head, giving you a small smile as his hands gently grip your arms as well. "Okay, okay. So, I have something for you to keep hidden," Luke informs you and releases your arms. You do the same, watching him diligently as he pulls out a medium-sized dagger. "I want you to, uhm, slip this in your garter."

You laugh softly as you listened to him choke out that sentence. Luke clears his throat as his cheeks turn pink. "Why are you so flustered, Lukey?" You grin teasingly while taking the dagger from him before hiking up the skirt of your dress.

His blue eyes go wide, finding it hard to look away as you fasten the knife in your garter, positioning it in a way where it won't cut you. "Fucking hell…" Luke trails off and looks away from you.

You fix the skirt before glancing back towards Luke, seeing him scratching the back of his head. "How were you so confident kissing me on Big Ben but can't look at me now?" You ask with a tilt of your head.

"I-Because it's not right? I was just taught to treat a lady with respect," he mumbles while fiddling with his fingers. "Don't get me wrong i-it's nice to see you're so comfortable with me. I just… I'm just not used to this I guess?"

You're in awe as you look at Luke, watching him continue to fiddle with his fingers. "That's the sweetest thing someone's ever said to me," you whisper and Luke raises an eyebrow and mutters "really". You nod your head, grinning ear to ear as you take a step towards him.

Luke reaches for your hand, his blue eyes cast down to look at it before lifting it up, pressing his lips to the back of it. "I never would've thought I'd find love while being here," he confesses and the butterflies in your stomach begin to soar.

"I'd never thought I'd find love after what happened with Jack," you tell him and Luke hums, rubbing his thumb against the back of my hand. "Especially with an assassin."

Luke let's out a laugh and shakes his head, dropping your hand. "You're on your way of becoming one as well, sweetheart," he grins and you giggle, shrugging your shoulders.

"Are you guys done?" Jacob yells from the other room and both you and Luke glance towards the open bedroom door. "We're going to be late if you two keep jabbing on."

You bite your lip, glancing back at Luke as he lets out a sigh. "C'mon, we can "flirt" in the carriage," you giggle and grab his hand, beginning to lead him out of the room when he stops you.

Luke spins you around before pressing his lips to yours. Your eyes widen, one of your hands gripping his forearm. It only takes a couple of seconds for your eyes to flutter shut, proceeding to kiss him back. The blonde's hands rest on your waist, feeling him squeeze slightly through the dress.

"If anything happens. Come to me. I really don't want to put you in any danger," he whispers against your lips and you feel his forehead resting on yours. "Promise me you'll come to me if something happens."

You nod your head, a deep sigh coming from your nose as you inhale his scent. "I promise, Luke."

-

You and Luke walk into the courtyard together, the twins walking in front of the two of you as your nerves are rocketing through the roof. A hand slips itself into yours and you glance up at the blonde, his blue eyes already looking down at you.

"It's gonna be okay, alright?" He whispers and you nod your head, letting out a breath. “Do you want me to get you a drink?”

You shake your head, dropping your hand from him before placing it on his chest. “No, no. It’s fine, Luke. You’ve got stuff to do,” you reassure him and he nods his head.

“Don’t forget,” Luke starts and grabs your hand, bringing it to his lips. “If you need me, find me. I don’t care if I’m in the middle of something. Find me.”

You giggle, smiling up at the blonde as you mutter an alright before leaning on your toes to press a short kiss to his lips. Luke’s hands rest on the sides of your arms, his thumbs stroking the skin gently. The smile on your lips widens when you pull away from him, seeing his lips pursed still.

“You are going to be the death of me,” he whispers and you let out a chuckle, fiddling with his tailcoat.

“Go help save the country, handsome,” you tell him and he nods his head, leaning down to press one more kiss to your lips before walking away from you. You sigh happily and bring your fingers up to your lips, the feeling of his lingering.

You watch the people dance from the terrace railing, tapping your foot to the beat of the music that's being played. You smile softly, watching the couple's dance close to one another. It would be so nice to dance. I don't really know how to dance though.

"Would you like to dance, m'lady?" Luke's Australian voice asks from behind you and you glance over your shoulder, eyes wide.

"Luke," you giggle and he takes your hand in his, "I thought you were supposed to be doing something?"

He smiles softly and you set your drink onto the table as the blonde leads you towards the other people dancing. "Jacob's taking care of it. I'm just here in case something goes wrong, as are you," Luke states while placing a hand to your waist.

You smile softly as the two of you dance to music. The two of you stare at each other in admiration, your fingers intertwining with his as the other rests on his shoulder. "I never would've thought I'd be here right now. With you," you whisper and Luke chuckles softly, nodding his head.

"Yeah, I agree. I mean I probably would've ended up here since it's my job, but I never thought I'd be dancing with the girl I fancy," he states and your heart flutters, still in awe after hearing it a second time. "On a more serious note… you think you'd want to train to become an assassin after all of this?"

You look up at him with wide eyes, halting your movements and he stumbles a bit. His blonde curls bounce a bit as he regains his footing. "Are… are you serious?" You ask and Luke grins ear to ear, nodding his head.

"Absolutely, sweetheart."

"Holy shit…" you trail off and Luke chuckles, tucking some hair behind his ear. "I- Yeah, that would be awesome!"

He smiles softly before dipping down, pressing his pink lips against yours. You couldn't help but smile into the kiss, your fingers going into his hair when you felt a pair of eyes on you. You pull away from Luke, glancing to your left and your breath hitches in your throat at the man who's staring at the two of you from afar.

W-What is he doing here? And why's he wearing Templar gear? 

Luke notices something in the corner of his eye and glances up at the building, seeing Jacob on the roof as the other assassin raises his hand. He nods his head before looking back down at you. "Sweetheart," he starts but stops as he detects the fear on your face. "What's wrong?"

"Jack's here," you whisper, tearing your eyes away from your ex to look up at Luke.

"What?! Where?" He asks while looking around. You grab his chin, turning his face in the direction your ex is standing as he chats with another Templar.

"There."

He curses softly, his large hands running up your arms. "Okay, I need to go help Jacob, uhm," Luke pauses and turns his attention to you, "stay out of sight from him. Do anything you can to not let him near you."

You nod your head, swallowing the lump in your throat. Luke caresses your cheek before kissing it softly. "Be safe," you mumble as he begins to walk away. He smiles softly, nodding his head as his heart pounds in his chest as he looks you over.

"I will. Same goes to you."

-

The last thing you expected was to find your ex-boyfriend at the ball, walking around proudly in his Templar uniform. You did your best to stay away from him, but you started to worry about Luke, Jacob, and Evie when they haven't come back yet and it's been over an hour and a half since they left.

You chew on your nails when looking out towards the trees and begin to panic when you feel Jack's eyes on you.  You quickly take a glance his way to see him and another Templar eyeing you while your ex points in your direction. You start to walk away from them and head out towards the ruins, keeping a lookout through the corner of your eye. When the two men began to follow is when you went into full-blown panic, walking a bit faster towards where Luke is.

You hike your dress up a bit, closing the distance between you and the ruins. You glance back once more to just see Jack following you still and when a smirk forms on his lip is when you decide to break out into a sprint.

You were running through the grounds of the Palace, breathing heavily as you continue to hear his heavy footsteps running behind you. "C'mon, Y/N, stop running from me," he calls out from behind you and your heart pounds in your chest. You trip over a rock, catching yourself before you fall over.

You can see Luke standing about 100 yards in front of you, fighting a few Templars that are guarding the opening to the ruins. A grunt leaves your lips as Jack tackles you to the ground. You end up flipping over, trying to kick him off of you when he lands a punch to your ribs. A yelp leaves your lips, pressing your hands to his chest before kicking his kidney.

"Get off of me!" You yell and kick him in the kidney once more. You flip onto your stomach and your eyes meet Luke's for a second when a sharp pain travels up your back.

A scream leaves your lips as you feel Jack pull the knife from your back before flipping you over. Luke lets out a gasp as he watches the Templar straddle your chest. "Y/N!" The blonde yells and assassinates both of the men beside him.

"It's such a shame that you have to die," Jack tsks as you did everything you could to get him off of you. The knife he's holding almost pierces through your chest when Jack was tackled off of you.

You gasp and since as you lean on your left hand, watching Luke shove his blade into your ex-boyfriend's chest. A surge of pain shoots up your back and a shriek leaves you lips, falling back onto the grass. "L-Luke!" You call out and the blonde glances over his shoulder, seeing you arch your back off the ground and your chest heaving.

Luke rushes over to you and lifts you off the ground. "C'mon," he starts and wraps an arm around your waist. You let out a grunt, gripping onto his trench coat as the two of you trudge towards the main gate. "We need to get you to Miss Nightingale."

"B-But the shroud…" you trail off, feeling yourself getting weaker as Luke hushes you. You almost trip as you get closer to the exit, a cry leaving your lips.

"Jacob and Evie will take care of it. I'm not losing you," the blonde assassin states before stopping, lifting you completely in his arms as he carries you bridal style towards an empty carriage.

-

You smile as you watch your little girl run around the living room of Luke’s home. The blonde curls on her head bouncing as giggles. Evelyn picks up one of her toys, shaking it in her tiny hands before tumbling back towards you. “Hi, baby girl,” you grin and pick her up from her spot. “Wanna go find daddy?”

She lets out a squeal, clapping her hands together as the two of you head further into the house. You walk into the kitchen to see your husband cooking lunch, the smell of the beef he’s sauteing starts to make you hungry. “Hi, loves,” Luke greets and peers over his shoulder. You smile at him, walking up to him and pressing a kiss to his cheek. Luke bends down to kiss your lips before moving his attention to his daughter. “Hi, Eve!”

 Evelyn smiles at the blonde, reaching out to him and Luke pulls away from the stove as you hand her to him. You continue making the beef patties that are in the pan while Luke places a kiss all over Evelyn’s face, her squeals echoing off the walls of the kitchen. You pull the pan off the burner when they were done, setting the two and a half patties onto a plate. “Luke, can you get the highchair for her?” You ask and he nods his head, walking into the other room with her in his arms.

You cut up the half patty, making it small enough for Eve to eat when a knock on the front door reaches your ears. “Sweetheart, can you get that?” Luke calls out.

“Yeah!” You answer and place the fork and knife down before walking towards the door. You open the door to see three men standing on the porch, all dressed up in Assassin gear. They look at you confused as you give them a smile. “Luke! I think it’s for you.”

Your blonde husband talks nonsense to your daughter while walking towards you. “Who is-” Luke starts but cuts himself off as his blue eyes catch sight of his three friends. “Guys, hey! What are you doing here?”

The brunette scratches his neck and chuckles, “well, we heard you were back in town and decided to stop by. You know… since it’s been a decade since we’ve seen you,” he explains and the smile on his lips falls.

“Yeah, I’m sorry. I meant to send letters but the job in London took up a lot of my time and then I was training her afterward,” Luke mumbles and glances down at you. “Uh, Y/N, these are my fellow assassin friends, Calum, Michael, and Ashton. Guys, this is my wife Y/N and our child, Evelyn.”

You give the three men a small wave and they do the same. “Do you guys wanna come in? We just made lunch and if you’re hungry I can cook up a few more,” you smile, and the other blonde grins.

“I don’t know about Ashton or Cal, but I could eat,” Michael states and walks into the house. You let out a chuckle as he and Luke head back into the kitchen. You motion for the other two to come in and you close the door after they come inside.

“It’s nice to finally meet you guys. Luke talked about you all a lot,” you smile and Calum smiles down at you.

“Of course he did. I only wish we knew about you,” he states while the three of you head into the kitchen to see Luke already cooking the other patties as Evelyn sits in her highchair.

“Well, there’s no time like the present,” you grin and sit in the chair beside your little girl, your heart fluttering at the scene in front of you. You never thought this was the future you were going to bestow and you were not complaining. I love my little family.

-

Taglist: @galcalirwin​ @sexgodashton​ @frontmanash​ @philthepegacorn​ @talkfastromance4​ @mysticalhood​ @myloverboyash​ @maluminspace​ @h0tsos​ @itsasadfishworld​ @tea4sykes​ @gigglyirwin​ @thebookamongmen​ @bloodmoonashton​ @here-for-the-uproars​ @g-l-pierce​ @abb-lan-5sos​

[opaquecinnamon]

Evie Frye Headcanons

I want to start by saying this is obviously my opinion, if you want to agree/disagree/discuss, feel free to message me :)

~~~

She gets angry/frustrated when she is hurt. She hates the pain and the embarrassment that goes with showing such weakness

Her pocket watch is always set five minutes ahead, even though she of course is aware of this, it allows her to consistently be on time (or early in her case)

Not only does she collect flowers for Henry, she has her own collection as well. Her favourite flowers are hidden, pressed hard into the pages of her thickest novel. She has a separate shelf for what seems like her favourite books but what is actually her precious flower collection

By no means is this one an original idea BUT, Jacob knows how to braid Evie’s hair. Once he has finally come to the conclusion that he is wrong in whatever argument they had the day before, he makes it up to his older sister by styling her hair for her. Seeing as how the two so frequently argue, he has grown rather proficient at this; her hair being equally as good as when she does it herself. He has had much time to practice as they have done this since they were children, he understands how to gently untangle knots in her wavy dark hair and not pull a single strand too tight

Being an intellectual, she has many interests picked up from years of reading. One of these, Greek mythology. Her particular interests fall to the three fates, Clotho, Lachesis and Atropos. Atropos being her favourite as she chose how to end the life of mortals, something that Evie resonates with greatly. This interest is one that she holds close to her heart and she calls her horse Atropos after her favourite fate

Tying in with the theme of the ancient Greek gods, Evie also enjoys ethical and epistemological philosophy, of course deriving again from the Greeks. (Hey I didn’t say her interests would be all that cool, she is a massive nerd after all).

In 1888 whilst she was searching for Jacob, nearly every night she would write to him. These letters were never sent, but kept to herself, a way for her to talk to him without actually being able to do so. At this time she truly lets her guard down and is not the Evie we see in 1868, much more raw and emotional. Twenty years was enough to unlearn the philosophy of ‘do not allow personal feelings to compromise the mission’ and when it comes to the safety of her twin brother, she wears her heart on her sleeve

Something that attracts Evie to others is their mind. If they are intelligent enough to hold a conversation with her there is a solid chance that she may even develop some kind of feelings for them

Jacob is known for being the witty and flirtatious one of the two but what people tend to overlook is the times when Evie shows these same qualities. The difference between the two is that Evie saves these remarks for when she is comfortable or with someone she knows a little better instead of strangers (unless it involves the mission). Evie Frye is as much of a flirt as her brother and let’s just say that Henry was not the first person she had been with.

Speaking of sibling similarities, did you know that twins have a higher chance of being LGBT? And it’s even higher if one of them is already. Anyway so Evie said bisexual rights and no I do not take criticism, she likes women too :)

[perseus-veil]

i finished my second playthrough of ac syndicate last night and this time i actually collected all the pressed flowers unlike the first time and i didn’t even think about there being another cutscene with evie and henry until i started watching it and bRO i had no idea he actually proposed to her 

[corvus-the-trickster]

I'll need to rewatch the ending scenes in syndicate cause for some reason I thought in the crypt was like the first time Henry and Evie actually kissed? Cause they kind of "broke up" before then so were they engaged and she broke it off?? I'm so confused now. (Oh syndicate why couldn't you be more clear about the timeline and actually show us the proposal and stuff etc).

which part would they have broken up? also i could be totally wrong about when they got engaged perhaps it could have been that morning (when they got knighted) because iirc they don't show the time of day. They did show us the proposal, it's the reward for getting all of the pressed flowers.

there's two cutscenes in that. It also gets us Evie's 11th entry where she draws him and we get the confirmation that Evie knows his name is Jayadeep.

[idonia-dovahkiin]

Jacob Frye x Catherine Starrick

This is a triple whammy kissing prompt! Unwarranted! Unsolicited! Non-requested! This combines @not-hao-at-all‘s Kissing Prompt’s #32: Cheek kiss #31: Shoulder kiss AND #1: Being unable to open their eyes for a few moments afterwards. Such a prompt is for Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate Jacob Frye and my OFC Catherine Starrick. To can check out their story here.

Two songs came out of this. 1) Patti Smith Group’s Because the Night 2) Mandy Moore’s Gardenia

Likes are appreciated, reblogs and comments more so. I hope you all enjoy it.

In only a short few months, the train had become a home to the Frye twins. Jacob, in particular, had grown quite comfortable in the second carriage when not in the third with his Rooks; always being seen half laid across the chaise memorizing his targets. All red lines pointed toward Crawford Starrick, to whom Jacob glowered. Anytime Evie passed by him he had a smart quip to say; “Do you think someone grooms Starrick’s mustache for him? It’s so…bushy.”

It was not until recently that he was more acquainted with his personal cart. Before, a vast majority of his wardrobe laid haphazardly about the floor. Now, he had gotten into the habit of putting them away where they should go. Coats, vests, shirts, trousers, ties, and all other matter of clothing were tucked away in his closet or dresser. His top hats and cap, however, sat proudly on a coat rack. His kurki criss-crossed proudly on the wall, and his rook headed cane sword leaned against his bed while his brass knuckles were on a near end table.

The room smelled nicer, as well.

A pleasant, sultry scent that lingered on his fingertips if he dared touch the velvety soft source. Twelve large, white flowers sat atop a dark wood table in a porcelain vase next to a slim candle or two and a well-loved book. A novel, which Catherine had given him. His cart always felt warmer with her in it; full of giggles, laughter, sighs, gentle touches, and kisses.

Oh, how he longed to kiss her each day….

Be it on her mouth, neck…, shoulder…, chest…, hip…, or…thigh he simply wished to kiss her. “If I must choose, Jacob,” she once said with swollen, smiling lips, “I choose this devilish mouth of yours.”

On nights such as that, she would forsake all others and spend the night with him. Much to the chagrin of his sister — as an assassin, she would remind him, he should be careful of whom he takes to bed — and embarrassment of Henry — the pair of them could be rather loud, to which Jacob feeds off of and draws out time and again.

Such mornings after had him waking up slower than normal. His bed felt warmer, cozier, and the smell of gardenias far more enticing. He could spend hours in his bed with Cat in his arms, kissing every bit of her, if he did not have a city to liberate. Naked or clothed, she fitted nicely next to him. Yet she, a woman of high social standing, was in the habit of waking early to ready herself for the day. Jacob remained motionless with even breath as she peeled away from him. He let out the most pathetic and heartbreaking whine she had ever heard when she was completely out of his grasp. A large, rough hand groped at where she once laid. “Cat?”

Slim, manicured fingers knitted with his. Held tight.

An overwhelming smell of gardenias smothered his senses. He welcomed it.

She kissed his cheek with a reassuring hum.

It was a soft kiss that lasted a few seconds too long for it to be proper, but far too short for lovers to share.

When she pulled away, she stayed only millimeters from his face. Her long, unraveled, brown hair acted as a curtain for them. The short hairs on his face tickled him with each delicate breath she took; he almost giggled at the sensation. She was smiling with half-lidded eyes and a hand threaded through the center of his chest. (Could she feel his heart beat? Strong, sure, and steady in the dawning light.) Jacob wanted more. Catherine wanted more, too. He turned his head to her, lips ready, and they kissed again. Lovingly, languidly with no real need to rush. Jacob’s lips practically stuck to hers. Top-to-top and bottom-to-bottom, eyes fully closed with peace and pleasure. Neither lover truly pulled away from the others mouth, as their lips always touched, just matching each lip to the other over and over again. Moving—dancing together, so that life may gradually enter the room. The smooth hand that was on Jacob’s chest slid up to the side of his neck and rested there. Graceful and unthreatening. The other rested on his shoulder. His own hands found themselves at her sides barely kneading the soft flesh there. Her chest pressed against his. Innocent, surely, for now they could feel the others beating heart. The very center of himself felt like it was glowing. It grew brighter with a slight shift of Cat’s fingers and a hitch on her breath. He continued to breathe into her.

Until she pulled away completely.

The whine that left him sounded pathetic, hurtful even. Just a few more minutes?

Neither person could open their eyes. Mouths tingling, hands burning, and hearts yearning, they kept themselves blind. They stayed suspended, smelling the other person’s breath. Warm and sweet, pleasant and sultry. Jacob’s heart sped a little faster, but he still kept his eyes closed.

Cat slid her hands down to his chest. He felt her eyes staring at where his heart beats. She could feel it, couldn’t she? It belonged to—with her!

Her voice was soft when she spoke, “We have to get ready, Jacob. The sun is nearly here to greet us.”

“So long as it is only the sun and no one else,” he groaned, refusing to open his eyes. He threaded his fingers in her hair, raised himself up, and pressed his brow to hers. There was a lingering scent of last night’s activities on her breath. Did his breath smell of her, as well? “I refuse to let anyone else greet us, and even he needs to tread carefully.”

She had the most adorable giggles. “I doubt anyone is willing to come in here,” a pause, a blush, “after last night, Jacob.”

“Even the sun?” A form of hope rung in his voice. When he opened his eyes, Cat was all he could see. She was beautiful in this dawning light—bare, softer, and relaxed with lips swollen and pink, and bright, brown eyes full of adoration—for only him to ever see. Could they spend the day with each other? In this room that could move about the city, never truly stopping, but still lay in bed? Focused solely on each other?

When had Jacob Frye become a Romantic?

“I’m afraid not, dove.” Her lips brushed along his.

Jacob fell back on his bed with a playfully annoyed huff. The multiple red lines that ran down the expanse of his back woke up at the cooled sheets—burning and delicious. A reminder of Cat lost in a fit of passion.

“How cruel you are to me, Cat.” He threw his arm over his closed eyes. “I can’t even look at you right now.” Despite his words, there was a smile on his lips.

Cat patted the meat of his hip. “I’m sure you will, soon enough.”

Other than her warmth, all physical presence of her left his bed.

Jacob’s lips and cheek still tingled from the kiss. Neck, shoulder, chest, and hip still warm simply from her touch. While he was a physical man, no touch that delicate or passionate had lingered quite this long before. What had she done to him?

When he heard Cat rustling and giggling about, which was unusual, she normally kept good due diligence about dressing herself, Jacob quirked a brow. Were her skirts and corset that littered about?

“Did we not make a straight line for the bed last night, love?” Upon her gentle laughter, Jacob pulled his arm away from his face. “What are you—” All words lodged themselves in his throat. His heart fluttered with pupils blown wide. He was not aware of his body rising up as if he were reanimated back to life.

Catherine stood in front of a mirror taller than herself. She wore his ornate black and green frock coat. It was far too big for the likes of her; she held it at the shoulders, fussing with them so that they sat right only for them to fall backwards or forwards or off completely. It was…certainly lovely to see her in colors that he normally wore. The coat hid all of his love bites—there were many and fair ones under her breasts, but few and darker on her hips and thighs—yet, he did not mind.

A man in awe, he rose up from the bed and walked up behind her. He placed his hands on her hips, and then slid them across her abdomen to hold her close. Both stared at their reflection.

The armored piece of his coat fell off her shoulder to rest at her elbow. Face dusted pink, lower lip barely bitten she let it be.

“What do you think, Mr. Frye?”

Jacob pressed his lips to the junction of her neck and shoulder. She breathed out his name. His mouth lingered.

Thoughtful.

Waiting.

His lips barely left her skin, before placing themselves on her shoulder. A calloused hand tickled up her belly.

“Jacob….” She need not remind him.

“You are,” another kiss to her shoulder, “a wonder.” Another kiss. ““Beautiful” seems so lackluster to describe you.” Jacob stared at her reflection. Cat’s eyes were barely closed, mouth agape, her entire face glowed pink, and her other shoulder was bare, to which Jacob righted. “You are a wonder to this world, Miss Hale.”

How would it sound to call her Mrs. Frye?

Another kiss, though this time his beard added an extra bite.

Catherine’s eyes glazed over for a moment, before she blinked it away. When she smiled at him, it chased away all negativity. “You say such things…,” she whispered, and knitted her fingers with the hand between her breasts.

And he began to walk them backwards to the bed.

[crowtwink]

when I’m done my FTH fic I’m gonna write a Frye twins roleswap AU where their personalities are exactly the same except Evie is the one running around killing templars and Jacob is the one looking for the artifacts

Evie who keeps her anger a little less under control and focuses on the more practical, murder-y side of the Creed and helping people in straightforward, tangible ways. (And is a little bit driven by her father’s murder at the hand of the Templars.)

Jacob who is having a blast with his Indiana Jones style search for the shroud despite his father always calling it a fairy tale and the fact that his sister is furious that he’s turning London upside down for the sake of something that might not even exist.

I’d have to mess around with the villains a little to make it work, but like... Roth is a theater owner with an interest in the occult who is working for the Templars. Lucy Thorne starts as a friendly source of information for Jacob. Evie spends much of her time chasing Starrick, only to find out when she kills him that her brother’s pal Lucy is actually the real power in London (and that she’s been feeding Jacob information for her own benefit). Pearl is an upright businesswoman by day and leader of the Blighters by night and she and Evie play a game of “I know that you know that I know who you are but we’re gonna pretend we’re both completely oblivious and see who makes a mistake first.”

Henry divides his time more evenly between the twins, giving Evie targets and Jacob rumors and old books, and mediating between Evie’s overly practical approach and Jacob’s overly fantastic one. 

(And in an ideal world where I was making this as a game there would be the option for either twin to romance him and collecting all the pressed flowers would unlock either a Jacob or Evie romance scene depending on how you interacted with him during gameplay) (Jacob would still have his thing with Roth, Evie would have her own thing with Pearl, and the bit with Starrick and Evie dancing would now be Lucy and which twin she’s dancing with would depend on how you play) (this nonexistent remake will be called Syndicate: Disaster Bi Edition)

[ronsenboobi]

many deaths i’ll sing (assassin’s creed: syndicate)

novembre 2018: a character study of jacob frye throughout the events of sequences 8 and 9. spoilers, obviously. 4,232 words. read on ao3

I.     bedfellows 

The bravest man in London, he said.

Maxwell Roth was easy enough to read, from the start: a grandiose egomaniac of a dandy whose theatricality came as a surprise, when juxtaposed with the knowledge that he was one of the most dangerous men of London’s criminal underworld. It was enough to throw Jacob off-balance, like a discordant chord being struck midway through a dance he thought he knew—Roth was too bright, too lively, too familiar by half. Jacob had expected a lot of things when he made up his mind to meet with the head of the Blighters, and Roth was, by and large, very few of them.

London had been a sea of red when Jacob and Evie stepped off the train from Croydon; since then, he’d made it his own personal mission to remedy it, and he’d built the Rooks from the ground up to make it happen. There was an irony in knowing that it was a sort of forceful bloodletting that would lessen the Blighters’—and, by extension, the Templars’—hold on the city and make it so that Jacob’s life was less full of that red, and then he walked right into the lion's den. There was red everywhere he looked: the outside of the Alhambra, the thugs who surrounded it, the curtains, the velvet carpet. The splash of red around Roth’s neck.

It was like stepping into hellfire and taking a drink with the devil, and the devil poured the spirits himself and called his efforts the heroics of the bravest man in London.

Not reckless, not misguided, not sloppy. Brave. Such a small, unassuming word, yet Jacob struggled to remember whether he’d ever earned it from anyone else in his life, even once, and came up utterly empty.

Roth called him many things after that, but it was not so much the words as the faith and the pure delight at the trouble they stirred up together that left their mark. It made Jacob breathless, like he was racing to keep up rather than always running in headfirst, with Father or Evie behind him yelling to slow down and think, for once. He did think, and that had always been his problem: too fast, too restless. Roth, however, seemed to think exactly the same as he did in so many ways. Instead of coming head-to-head, they worked in tandem, the Rook and the Blighter opposed in the streets but united against Starrick.

Jacob wasn’t used to this sort of partnership; he and Evie worked well together—they always had—but they challenged each other. Everything she would have said no to, Roth met with an eager why not?

Those times were full of wonder and bewildered fascination and philosophizing, even, and once—just once—Jacob found himself thinking of how staunchly Father would have disapproved of this. He would have disapproved of Roth, he would have disapproved of their ends and their means; he would have disapproved of Jacob himself because it had become reflexive by the end of his life. For once, it did not matter. Jacob was his own man—and, for once, someone saw it.

  II.     games

The factory did not feel like bravery. It felt like a sickness, one that left violent nausea in his belly and a taste of poison on his tongue, sharp and choking—though perhaps that was from the smoke. The smoke seemed as though it would never leave his lungs.

Jacob stood watching the flames for what felt like half an age, so bright they danced in his eyes and so hot he could feel the air on his skin like he was still in there. He hadn’t hesitated, because he never hesitated. Headfirst. No time to dwell on his disgust, his disappointment, the sickening pull of betrayal. The children were all that mattered, then, the innocent lives he was meant to protect; Roth’s rage, and his own, were secondary.

He could not tell whether he was already shaking when he was handed the box, or it was the box that made him shake. Roth’s hand on the paper was like a voice in his head, like the claws of a raptor around his throat, and it gripped him tighter and screamed when he peered inside the box and met the lifeless black eye of that young crow. Once free, then caged; now dead.

His horror was quiet, but his rage, driven by sorrow and fear he wouldn’t admit to, was not so. Stormy steps took him up that alley, the rhythm of them a fatal chorus of one of us will die, one of us will die, one of us will die before I’m the one in that cage. He all but stumbled through the door of the fight club hiding in plain sight nearby, and today he had no cordial words for Topping as he began to take off his gear unprompted.

“Put me in that ring,” he said, forming the words around the taste of smoke, his voice raw. From the coughing, he told himself. It was the coughing.

Topping saw the intensity that clung to him and it translated to sterling in his mind, as it always did, and so he was happy to oblige. Jacob let the rumble of the fighting quiet everything inside him that he didn’t want to hear and did the one thing he was truly good at: he fought and fought and fought, fingers digging into muscle, knuckles cracking bones, until the sweat washed the soot off his face and he couldn’t smell the smoke on him anymore. The tang of blood replaced what lingered of the flames; red, always red, like the faded crimson of a Blighter flag hanging from the rafters, looming over him.

He fought some more and thought, distantly, that he would have that flag taken down if it meant burning the place—

No. That wasn’t him.

He stopped. The fighting went on without him.

Jacob sat on a bench amidst the dizzying sea of noise and sniffed, wiping the blood under his nose with the back of his hand. Looking down at his chest, he saw drops of red splattered across the outstretched wing of the bird on his skin, flying free. He wiped his hand across it, too, and thought of the baby crow in the box.

He knew what he was going to have to do, tomorrow—but for now, he let the rush take him until he realized his entire body ached.

***

Evie was asleep in her armchair when he stepped onto the train from the near-empty platform at St. Pancras, so weary his muscles shook as he moved. The book in her hand was still half-open and dangerously close to falling; he took the book, kept her page with a loose pressed flower lying forgotten on the table beside her, and set it down. His own gentleness surprised him, as though he’d forgotten he was even capable of it after a night like this. Evie did not stir, and he did not linger.

He hopped over to the next car and stood before the board Henry had helped him set up at the very beginning, his gaze passing over every thread that connected to Starrick. Nearly all of them, he had broken, but for one: the Blighters, with their hold over every part of London, still too strong over the Rooks to his taste when this began. Roth had almost made him forget that. He looked at the letter he’d pinned beside the map: that very first dinner invitation that he and Evie had both scoffed at before he went ahead and decided to go anyway, because he was reckless and impulsive and so intent on charging towards his goals that he didn’t think of the consequences.

The chance to have a little fun with the bravest man in London.

Jacob gritted his teeth and pointedly did not reach into the pocket inside his jacket for the new note—the one Roth had sent with the box containing his invitation—even though it would have gone on the board, had it come from any other target. But it hadn’t. He couldn’t leave it there, my dearest Jacob and all, for Evie and Henry and every passing Rook to see, so instead he rummaged around his things until he found a photograph of Roth he remembered seeing among the various files Henry had sent over. He pinned it to the board so mechanically it was almost as though it were only some prick like Twopenny or Cardigan he was only too happy to remove from Starrick’s power.

Tomorrow, he would be crossing it out in red, as he did all the others—or it would give Evie a path to Roth, if he somehow didn’t come out of this alive. If he managed to bungle this up, too, she would clean up his mess with her eyes closed, he knew.

He couldn’t tell what was worse about that thought, between Evie ending Roth’s life—it has to be me, he thought bitterly—or Roth doing so much as laying eyes or a finger on his sister. Not after all of this. Would he call her dear, too, or was that a privilege and a curse reserved only for him?

He’d get no answers tonight, and likely not tomorrow, either. Moving heavily, his limbs as though through molasses, he grabbed a thick wool blanket off of his sofa and went back into the next car to lay it over Evie, tucking it around her shoulders snugly. Maybe she’d think it was Henry who had done it, when she woke; maybe it was better that she did, to bring her closer to him. She would need him if the rift between she and Jacob were to grow.

As he fell onto the sofa, Jacob almost wished Agnes was around to ask if they had a bottle of laudanum on hand. He hurt like the devil.

  III.     stage

The Alhambra was burning, and Jacob felt numb. Yet his lungs were raw from the smoke and every inch of him ached from the tension and the fighting—he knew that, distantly, as though there was a wall of flame between his mind and his body.

For a moment, through the horror and the anger and the twisting, crippling, slithering sorrow, he had truly thought Roth and his thrice-damned theatre were going to take him with them. Hellfire and damnation, all sealed with a bloody kiss.

How could you do this how could you do this howcouldyoudothis—

Jacob forced himself to breathe as he watched the flames shatter the windows, the lights bursting in the letters that spelled the Alhambra’s name on its façade. Chaos and destruction: that was Roth’s legacy. Jacob thought that it would come to be his, too; it already was. He’d done so much wrong, too much, and the only thing that had kept the whole city from crashing down because of him was Evie.

The bravest man in London, indeed.

Around him, Leicester Square was still spinning out of control, but Jacob stood frozen in the cool night air that the fire slowly corrupted with smoke and heat. Darling, what a night!

He couldn’t be sure what it was that made him want to be ill; he couldn’t even tell whether he was most furious and disgusted at Roth or himself. At long last, he made himself turn away from the flames and walked shakily to the fountain to dip his hands in the water. He made no effort to wash the blood off of his hands, but he splashed his face until he felt like it was his own again and his eyes stopped watering from the smoke. He passed the edge of his sleeve over his nose and mouth, still so tender from the fight club, and he didn’t want to think of being kissed and tasting the metal of his own blade.

He made to sit on the edge of the fountain; instead, he slid down until he was on the ground, his knees folded towards his chest and his back against cold stone. He took off his hat and ran his hands through his hair, his whole body fidgeting restlessly as he sniffed and fought back pointless, childish tears. He pressed his fingers into his eyelids and struggled for breath. The last time he’d been like this, it had been after Father died, but Evie had been next to him, her legs stretched out and her shoulders slumping from the shock and the grief. She had reached for his hand and held it so tightly he’d thought she was going to break his fingers.

Jacob didn’t know how to be alone in this, but he didn’t know how to be with her anymore, either, and certainly not with the ghost of Maxwell Roth filling every little space he’d left open inside himself to linger between them.

***

It wasn’t until nearly dawn that Jacob returned to the train—in the blue hour of twilight, as the painters called it. He sat on the empty platform at St. Pancras again for the better part of an hour before the familiar locomotive came in, and by then he could barely feel his own legs as they stretched out before him. There was a pinkish line of sunlight hugging the horizon. He watched it reach higher, inch by inch, so weary that his gaze was distant and his mind blank; he didn’t have it in him to find it pretty.

He could only be glad that it wasn’t red, but then he was standing in front of his board and dipping a brush into the red ink to smear a cross over the photograph of Roth, the leader of the Blighters, the last line of defense Crawford Starrick had that wasn’t himself. In the end, it hadn’t been much of a defense—Roth was, to his last, in it only for chaos and for Maxwell Roth. Jacob had learned that the hard way.

Defeated, Jacob went to bury his left hand in his pocket, only to find that it wasn’t empty. He pulled out a mask, gilded and glimmering, hard and blank. He didn't remember picking it up. Part of him wanted to walk out of the car and toss it out onto the rails, but instead he cut a new length of twine—red, red, always more red—and wrapped it around the nose, through the eyes, to pin beside the map of London. The curtain had fallen. So, too, would the Blighters.

Jacob breathed, again and again, and wondered if he would ever feel once more what it was to breathe without agony burning through his chest. Sleeping was hell, too, even though he’d come to find the train’s vibrations and stops comforting. He lay unmoving on his back and slipped in and out of the fog. So many times that he lost count, he woke with flames in his mind and the lingering resistance in his hand of his blade slicing through flesh and a cold, bloodied mouth against his. Dawn had barely passed him by, pale and grim behind a grey-white sky, but it still felt as though he’d been restless through a night-long fever.

Henry came aboard and found him staring blankly at the board from the couch; it turned his gaze to the new photograph. “The leader of the Blighters is dead, then?” he asked, his surprise passing smoothly over his face. Jacob didn’t blame him for having missed it, with how fast it had all happened.

“Do you know me to get ahead of myself, Greenie?” Jacob said. It was meant to be sarcasm, to point out that he had no reason to mark a target as dead before the fact, but he was so, so tired and it came out all wrong. Henry could all too easily answer in the affirmative, especially if he’d been basing his impressions of him on Evie’s word as much as what he saw for himself.

Henry opened his mouth. Before he could speak, Jacob rolled over onto his side, so painfully he almost wanted to scream, and faced the window. “Don’t answer that,” he said.

“Good work,” Henry said uncertainly to his back. His steps were quiet on the plush carpet Agnes had bought as he walked to the next car.

It had been too personal to be work—too strangely, uncomfortably intimate—and it certainly hadn’t been good, but Henry was probably more concerned with what mess Jacob’s actions had unleashed this time, anyhow.

  IV.     jokes

Jacob had liked the songs, before. It might have been that he liked the drinking, mostly: the laughing with his Rooks, arms around each other’s shoulders as they swayed happily to the music, the triumphant brandishing of their bottles and tankards as they sang along. He liked being a part of something that wasn’t the Frye name or the Brotherhood, and this was something he had built himself; he was a part of London as London had become a part of him.

If London’s way of toasting him for ridding it of the people who poisoned its streets was a lively ditty to help send them to Hell where they belonged, it was only fair that Jacob should sing along.

The one about Pearl had felt a little distasteful, perhaps, but he’d sung anyway. He didn’t feel so inclined towards being a proper and respectful young gentleman for the sake of a woman who had manipulated and used him and delighted in it to Starrick. It had hurt Jacob’s pride, certainly, but his disdain for her felt righteous because he had needed to make it up to the Brotherhood for his carelessness. If he had his way, no one would ever know of it—not Henry, not George, and certainly not Evie—but for Father, if he was looking down on him and clicking his tongue the way he did when his footing was too heavy.

Still, it felt like a lesson: delight in the poetic nature of an Assassin aiding the Templars by some underhanded machinations, and meet your end at the point of the Assassin’s blade.

So he sang along and welcomed that the people should use Pearl’s death for their amusement like she had used him for hers, and it did not keep him from sleeping at night by any means. It was a good, properly cheeky song, besides.

They wrote one for Roth, too, but to this one, he did not sing along. He’d been doing his damnedest to be himself again since that cursed nightmare of an evening, to find the same satisfied irreverence in his advancement as with everyone else—it almost worked. Still, there was always something empty, and yet so heavy, that stubbornly kept a semblance of normalcy just out of his reach.

As he drank, he half expected Evie to burst in and tell him some institution or other had fallen apart because of him again, but the only thing that was crumbling without Roth was the Blighters. The Blighters, and the part of Jacob Frye he’d built up with admiration and terms of endearment. It was to their advantage, this time, that the Blighters should be crippled like this. And Jacob wouldn't let anyone see him bleed.

The folks at the pub, they sang of Maxwell Roth as they had everyone else before him, because they didn’t know and they couldn’t know what it cost the man who had cut the rope and put the blade through his neck. Jacob listened, tense and queasy, but he couldn’t sit through it. The piano felt like an erratic heartbeat, the words drenched in overly chipper poison, and then—

“—and Maxwell Roth, he then received a very bad review!”

Jacob snatched his hat up, slammed a banknote—not counterfeit, thanks to Evie and none to him—down on the table, and left.

***

“And I am sorry this doesn’t involve something you can destroy,” Evie said.

For a moment Jacob’s ears filled with the thundering roar of fire, again. Like it wasn’t enough, or perhaps because she didn’t know her words drove home something too painful that he already knew, she cut deeper: Father.

Of course Father had never approved of his methods or much of him; that wasn’t new information. But Father was dead, and so was the only man who’d ever shown him approval. Evie was what remained.

Father was right, she said.

It hurt worse than it did whenever their father called him reckless, and it hurt worse than it had when he finally opened his eyes and saw the sort of man Roth truly was. Evie was still here, but she would soon be gone.

Jacob couldn’t even resent her for it; he had only himself to blame.

  V.     rook and queen

The mission did not wait for him to stop feeling miserable; perhaps that was his saving grace.

When Abberline met up with him in the royal guard’s uniform, the ridiculous bearskin hat in his hands, there was something in Jacob that leapt for joy for the first time since the Alhambra. No matter everything he said, all the necessary chastising that his position demanded of him, Freddy seemed to trust him—and Jacob had never, for one second, thought to distrust him.

(Not that it was a mark of his good judgement, all things like Pearl Attaway and Maxwell Roth considered, but Freddy was the better man. Of that, Jacob was certain.)

Like the Rooks, it felt like he had finally built something that was meant to last. Even amidst the chaos and the destruction left in his wake, he had a few things that were solid and steady and that he didn’t owe to Evie or Henry or his father or even George. All this was his, and he wasn't about to lose them like he was to lose Evie.

There was a moment—once, suddenly, one fleeting impression—where that delighted something made him want to grab Freddy’s face and kiss him. What stopped him wasn’t shame: it was that he didn’t want to force it the way Roth had forced his blood onto his lips. If it were to come to pass, better it happen by meeting halfway, somewhere between words of charming sarcasm and reprimands made out of habit, so steeped in familiarity that they only came as half-hearted.

Shame wasn’t for irreverent fools like him. For once, it felt comforting to be so.

***

Jacob was tired of choking because of Roth’s smoke, and now Starrick’s hands. As he dragged himself back to his feet shaking, knowing that Evie would need him to fight in her stead like she fought in his, he heard Starrick speak: “The rook falls, and now the queen.”

Those disdainful words echoed through the vault. They broke through the clamour of the unrelenting battle between Starrick and Evie, rang in Jacob's ears in the spaces between his coughing and his ragged breathing. Starrick's voice was so smooth, so soft even when it was so sharp, and so utterly pretentious.

Jacob almost wanted to laugh, and he wondered if Evie did, too. Had the situation been any other, Evie may very well have primly informed Starrick that it was no use making any sort of reference to chess where her brother was concerned.

When they cut the Shroud free from his shoulders, Evie's blade buried itself deep in Starrick’s chest. “Queen takes knight,” Jacob hissed. His own blade followed—a mere four seconds later—and Evie said, low and dark, before Jacob was even finished speaking: “Rook takes knight.”

They looked at each other and wrenched their blades out in tandem; Evie stepped away, and Jacob caught Starrick to lower him down on the ground. They stood over him and heard his dying words together. It was done.

When they were outside again, eyes squinting in the bright early morning light, Jacob was smiling as though everything had washed away with a tide that had seemed like it might never come. He’d meant it when he told Evie he’d missed her, more than anything he had ever said in his life—and now they were at each other's side again, as it always had been. Evie had Henry at her arm and Jacob was without smoke in his lungs.

He could breathe.

The knighting was secondary in his mind when he glanced sideways, still kneeling, and saw Evie gazing not at Henry but past him. She was looking at him, her little brother, with a smile and a light in her eyes so bright she didn’t even need to speak for him to feel it to the bottom of his spirit.

But she still spoke, coming to his side again as the queen's carriage rolled away.

“Father would be proud of you,” Evie said, her hand steady on his shoulder and her smile gentle. She meant it, too.

Jacob smiled back, but said nothing. Perhaps he would be; perhaps not; perhaps any pride Father might have felt would only be a product of that which he had for Evie, not for him. As he stood beside his sister, Jacob found that it didn’t matter so much to him anymore what their father would have thought; he was dead and gone and Jacob had tortured himself overmuch with the dead, by now.

He heard the pride in Evie’s voice, saw it in her eyes. That was more than enough.

[diversegaminglists]

Games with on-screen kisses

Should be considered story spoilers (except for maybe dating sims), so browse at your own peril.

On-screen means a visible kiss on the lips, in-engine, cutscene or, in the case of visual novels, CG art. Games with descriptions of kisses in text only do not count.

This is far from complete but I think I’ve got most of the obvious ones, as always, suggestions and corrections encouraged (but no suggestions for games featuring unavoidable rape please).

I could really use more examples for the M/M only section as it’s currently mostly porn games in there (where all the smoochy games at?). :/

M/F:

Akatsuki No Goei (M/F)(Hentai game)(CG)(Translation patch)

Always Remember Me (Otome CG)

Alpha Protocol (Several kisses with optional romances as leads into fade-to-black sex scenes.)

Amagami (CG)(Translation patch)

Aquaria (Naija and Li)

Assassin’s Creed 3 (Kenway and Kaniehtí:io/Ziio, Myriam and Norris )

Assassin’s Creed 2 (Ezio and Cristina)

Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood (Ezio and Caterina)

Assassin’s Creed: Unity

Batman: Arkham Knight (Batman and Catwoman)

Binary Domain (Dan and Faye)

Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars (George kisses Nicole while she is tied up and she gives him a rightful bollocking for taking advantage, but later forgives him.)

Brütal Legend (Eddie and Ophalia)

Catherine (Anime style cutscenes)

Contract Marriage (CG)

Dandelion (CG)

The Darkness (Jacky and Jenny)

Dead Rising 3 (Nick and Annie)

Disgaea 2: Cursed Memories (In the good ending Adell and Rozalin smooch, CG art)

Dra+Koi (M/F)(CG)(Hentai)(Translation patch)

ef - a fairy tale of the two (dating sim, cg art)

Enchanted in the Moonlight (CG)

Fahrenheit aka Indigo Prophecy (Two optional, one unskippable, two leading into terrible sex scenes, one of which involves QTE thrusting, because of course it does it’s David Cage.)

Final Fantasy VIII (Rinoa and Squall finally smooch in the ending cutscene)

Final Fantasy X (Story cutscene while flying around in a magical lake, very Japanese.)

Final Fantasy XIII (Snow and Sera)

Final Fantasy XV (Noctis and Luna)

GoldenEye (James Bond and Natalya)

Hakuōki Franchise (Otome game)(CG)

Heavy Rain (depends on what choices you pick but they’re all awkward and creepy in context anyway)

Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis (In the middle of a fight Indiana smooches Sophia, how rude!)

Kaleidoscope Dating sim 1 & 2 (CG)

KatawaShoujo (Hentai game, CG art)

Kissed by the baddest bidder (CG)

LEGO Batman (Batman and Catwoman)

Lego Batman 3 (Poison Ivy)

Lord of the Rings: The Third Age (seemingly out of nowhere romance plots with very little build up or logic but does have awkward ps2 facesmushing)

Max Payne 2 (Max and Mona)

Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (Snake and Eva before a sexy time)

Metel Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (Meryl and Johnny)

Metro PD: Close to You (Otome, CG)

Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor (Press X to kiss your wife)

My Guardian Angel (CG)

My Sweet Proposal (CG)

Nameless: That One Thing You Must Recall (CG)

Nicole (CG)(I believe F/F content might be planned in the future)

Office Lover (CG)

Onimusha 2 (Oyu & Jubei)

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (Story cutscenes)

Princess Evangile (CG)(There are both All-Ages and uncensored versions of this game)

Psychonauts (Raz and Lili)

Resident Evil 2 (Leon and Ada)

Royal Midnight Kiss (CG)

Sakura Wars: So Long, My Love (CG)

Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World (at the end of some levels)

Shall We Date Franchise (CG)

Shira Oka: Second Chances (CG)

Sonic the Hedgehog (2006) (Infamous scene where a human princess has to smooch an unconscious Sonic)

Snow Sakura (CG)(Hentai game)

Spiderman: The Movie (Spiderman and MJ)

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (Starkiller’s pilot Juno plants one on him)

Storm Lover (Otome)(CG)

Sunrider Academy (CG) (Hentai game)

Sweet Scandal (CG)

Telltale’s Batman (Bruce and Selina)

To Heart 1 & 2 (CG)(All ages and uncensored versions)

Tokimeki Memorial Girl’s Side Franchise (Otome)(CG)(Translation patch)

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (Nate and Chloe smooch fairly early on. Nate and Elena finally smooch on screen at the end.)

Uncharted 4: A Thief's End (Elena and Nate again)

Until Dawn (Optional between Chris and Ashley)

Valkyria Chronicles (Welkin and Alicia)

Valkyria Chronicles III (Kurt and one of two possible girls)

War: 13th Day

Wing Commander: The Kilrathi Saga

The Witcher Franchise (usually before a sexytime)

Wolfenstein: The New Order (Anya and BJ)

Yo-Jin-Bo (Otome game, CG art)

F/F:

Flowers -Le volume sur printemps-

Her Tears Were My Light

Highway Blossoms (Both all ages and uncensored versions available)

Kindred Spirits on the Roof (CG art)

The Last of Us: Left Behind (T_T)

A Little Lily Princess

Love is Strange (Life is Strange fanfic)

Nurse Love Addiction

Slumberparty

Starlight Vega (warning for one step-sister romance route)

why is this dragon so fucking cute?

M/M:

Animamundi: Dark Alchemist (CG)(Adult game)

Bacchikoi! (CG)(Adult game)

Coming Out on Top (CG)(Adult game)

Hetalia Sim Date (CG)

Lamento – BEYOND THE VOID – (CG)(Adult game)(Catboys)

No, Thank You!!! (CG)(Adult game)

Silver Chaos (CG)(Adult game)(Translation patch)

Sleepover (CG)(Adult game)             

Combinations:

Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate (Roth and Jacob, Evie and Henry)

Backstage Pass (CG)

Bully (M/F and M/M kisses)

Dragon Age: Origins (repeatable smooches wherever)

Dragon Age 2 (Only in romance cutscenes)

Dragon Age 3 (combination of the two, but repeatable kisses only in Skyhold)

Fable Franchise (social actions)

Fire Emblem Fates occasionally gives your player character first person kissing scenes with your chosen S-rank partner.

Heilleen (CG art F/M and F/F)

Hustle Cat (Main character is NB by default)

Injustice 2 (Poison Ivy has a kiss attack)

Jade Empire (Though please note that the same-sex kisses need a mod to display properly without fading to black, see the mod section below.)

Life is Strange (There are options for Max to kiss Chloe and Warren depending on their relationship values.)

LongStory (CG)

Loren: The Amazon Princess (CG)

Lovestruck (This is Voltages’s newer app for games like Astoria and Castaways) (F/F F/M F/NB) (CG)

Magical Diary: Horse Hall (F/M & F/F CG)

Mass Effect (Cutscenes)

Saints Row IV  (Parody of romance cutscenes ranging from romantic kisses, to rough BDSM, to implied robot oral)

The Sims Franchise (So many different ways to smooch!)

Singles: Flirt Up Your Life (This is a game about boinking your room mate, but there’s also smooches and 1 M/M and 1 F/F option each)

Shoujo City 2D (F/M F/F)

Spelunky (Rescuing “damsels” will get you a kiss and an extra hitpoint at the end of the level, you can choose from a lady, a dude, a pug dog, or a combination of all three in the game options.)

Stardew Valley (You can smooch your partner)

Starwars: The Old Republic (Many M/F love interests in the main game. The expansions added some M/M and F/F)

Telltale’s Tales From the Borderlands (Several M/F and one F/F depending on paths chosen)

Mods:

Jade Empire Gay Romance Fix

Kissing - Immersive Lover's Comfort (Smooching mod for Skyrim, no other mods required.)

Icha Love (Alternative Kissing Mod for Skyrim, page is in Russian, requires FNIS, SKSE, and SKY UI mods)

Kiss Em All (Yet another Skyrim kissing mod, requires SKSE)

Kiss Em All SE (Port of Kiss Em All for Skyrim SE, also available for XBox1)

Bastila Romance Enhancement (Adds a visible kiss between Bastila and PC to Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic)

Carth Romance Fix (Adds a visible kiss between Carth and PC to Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic)

Juhani Romance Enhancement (Adds a visible kiss between Juhani and PC to Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic)

Kiss (Adds kissing to Fallous: New Vegas, hosted on an adult site, which needs an account to access downloads.)

Caricature animation (Adds kissing to Oblivion, requires OBSE20)

Special Mentions:

Exstetra is a JRPG where kissing everyone is a key game mechanic, but it’s only been released in Japan and unlikely to be localised into English.

KissMe - Adds Kisses to Minecraft but I don’t know if it’s text only or animations.

LovePlus - First person M/F kissing, only available via translation patch.

nummyz dating sims - Needs more research

Paranormal Kiss - Not in English yet.

Sim Girls Franchise - Needs more research

[writtenjewels]

Soulmate

requested by @wickedbrony

Starrick was droning on and on about something or other. Maxwell wasn't paying that much attention. It was all so terribly dull. Besides that, he had to keep a firm hand over one of his coat pockets. So far Starrick hadn't noticed anything strange about that particular pocket, and Maxwell wanted to keep it that way.

“Did you hear that?” Starrick asked suddenly.

“You were just telling me to add more Blighters to your factories,” Maxwell responded.

“Not that. It was a sort of squeaking noise.”

“Maybe it was your chair.” Maxwell subtly shifted his hand over his pocket. He could feel his fingers being nudged but he ignored it. Thankfully Starrick didn't pursue the line any farther and eventually called an end to the meeting.

Maxwell kept his hand over his pocket until he was inside his carriage. Only then did he take the small being who'd been nestled inside the whole time. He heard about these manifestations of a soulmate before but never thought one would appear to him. It came as a shock to him when he woke to find the little man sitting on his bedside table, tiny legs dangling over the side.

“You need to be more careful, little dear,” he chided the being. He got a devilish smile and hands wrapped around his pinky for his efforts. “I see,” Maxwell chuckled. “You like making trouble, don't you?” He should have known-- any soulmate of his would have to be a troublemaker.

Though it did make him wonder who the man was in life. This tiny version was mischievous, playful, energetic, and a bit aggressive. Maxwell was looking forward to seeing that in a full-grown man.

–

Jacob's legs were sprawled out across the train. A little man was nestled comfortably on his shoulder. When the little being arrived, Jacob spent a good two minutes just staring. It felt like cheating somehow to have this physical representation of his soulmate before ever meeting the person. At least Evie's appeared at the same time and he could tease her mercilessly about it.

He glanced over and saw she and her little man were putting together more pressed flowers for the full-grown version, Henry Green. Jacob could've guessed Greenie would be Evie's soulmate even without the physical proof: they were both academic, analytical, intelligent, preferring research and careful planning first before taking action.

Honestly, the only thing that held them back was themselves. Greenie seemed shy and Evie of course was hung up on their father's words warning of personal attachments.

Jacob wasn't going to have that problem. If the smaller version was any judge, his soulmate was just like him: chaotic, wild, devil-may-care.

“I really hope I meet you soon,” he said to his little friend. He felt a gentle brush against his jaw and smiled. “So you're eager to meet me, too? Excellent. It won't be long, then.”

He just hoped the rest of London was ready for it when they did finally come together.