The Masquerade | Oneshot Book

Jealousy, Jealousy.

a/n: the date is random. i tried to sync it a couple of years after the braddock expedition. bear with me, please.

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Current Date | 08.18.1759

The tavern bustled with the sounds of conversation and laughter. Rain fell heavily against the dark red door, and windows, signaling to the tavern's residents that a storm had rolled in. Lanterns lit up each corner of the building, glowing dimly on the people sitting near them. The further up the creaking stairs, the quieter it got.

The only people seemingly allowed on the top floor were a group of men and a woman. One of the group held his beer tightly in his hand as he took a swig, loud laughter following after. His colleagues laughed along at the gentleman or shared looks of disgust. Another successful mission meant a celebration, though there were a couple of faces amongst them that would disagree.

At the head of the rickety table sat a rather stoic man. He looked down the table at the lot before him. They were entitled to celebrate, but it was rather a waste of time in his eyes. The woman who sat a couple of seats down from him shared his sentiments. Her black hair hung over her shoulders as she gave the drunk across from her a threatening glance.

Cassidy never liked Hickey much, especially when he was drunk. He spewed bullshit while drunk, yet always seemed to ask the most personal questions. She'd rather die than entertain his ridiculous drunk thoughts. Her colleagues played along with it, however, much to her dismay.

"Say gents.... we're all.. bus.." The man stopped amid his sentence as he had a drunken giggle fit, returning to his question not long after. "Busy men, eh?" He smirked, looking around the table at his 'friends'. "Have a-any of... ugh you left a woman, when.. when her 'opes were 'igh?" The drunkard asked as he was sent into a fit again, his eyes flickering around the room.

Cassidy ignored him. A couple of the men gave some short stories about a woman or two who they met while on long missions, only to leave them once it was over. Others of the group shook their heads, saying they had no time for those things.

"What 'bout..y.. you boss? Eh," Hickey smirked as he looked towards the man at the head of the table. The woman in front of Hickey whacked him upside his head, "Quit with your questions, Hick-" The man, Haytham, waved his hand; a signal for Cassidy to stop. With a confused look, the woman leaned back in her seat, looking back at the man.

"I will answer this question, and this question only Hickey." He warned his inferior. Hickey hid his smirk behind his beer as he took another gulp. The group of men had their interest peaked. It was rare that they managed to squeeze anything out of Haytham.

"She lives back in Great Britain. Vanessa Rhodes is her name. Her father was a politician in France for a while, she traveled between France and Britain often." The man spoke as he looked around the group in front of him. "We knew each other for quite a while before our initial... relationship," He mentioned as he dragged a hand over his mouth. Trying not to seem soft about the topic at hand, his relaxed composure was replaced by a more serious one. "We were to be wed, but the Order comes first."

'Jealousy, Jealousy.'

The mention of him being 'wed' to another woman made Cassidy's blood boil. Even if he tried to hide it, she had made it her goal to get close to the Grandmaster. She could tell his serious composure was simply a mask to hide his true emotions on the matter.

"I offered her a chance to train, to join the order. She would have joined me sooner or later here had she taken it. However, her father was ailing and it would have taken more than I to convince her to leave his side. I was sent here not long after that." The Grandmaster explained, not daring to speak another word on the topic. Had he gone too deep into detail, his cold exterior would crack underneath the weight of longing and a tint of sadness. Upon hearing the rest, Cassidy quietly dismissed herself.

The woman closed the door to her room in the tavern. She sat on the edge of the bed, staring at herself in the mirror across from her. She didn't know this woman. Hell, her looks were a mystery still. 'I'm so sick of myself, I'd rather be, rather be

Anyone, anyone else, my jealousy, jealousy started following me.' Cassidy cursed under her breath, beginning to shrug and take off the day's clothes. Her weapons were placed neatly on the bedside table before she stacked her clothes in the spare chair beside the mirror.

He is still incredibly fond of Vanessa, even if he didn't let it show in his words. Cassidy could tell by the look in his eyes. Her silent anger built up as she stared at herself, running her hands through her hair. What chance would she have if he still cared about the woman he left years ago? She resisted the urge to break the glass of the mirror, opting instead to sharpen her handheld axe.

Cassidy sat down on the bed's edge, staring down at the axe. Whispering to herself, she sharpened the axe, yet her mind was still set on that woman. 'Got a pretty face, pretty boyfriend too I wanna be you so bad and I don't even know you.' Her axe slipped from her hand, falling on the floor as she held back her cries of frustration and anger. Picking the weapon up, she placed it back in its holder.

Cassidy gripped the handle of her gun as thoughts ran through her head. If she were to see or hear of the woman once more... yes, that was it. Her anger soon turned to wickedness. One bullet would be all it took. Just one. After all, Cassidy was a trained templar, and Vanessa was a simple citizen of Great Britain. It wouldn't take much. A couple of months trip and one small, lethal bullet.

Yet, unbeknownst to Cassidy, and the Templar Order of the Colonies alike; Vanessa Rhodes' father had passed, and Vanessa was an entirely different person. No longer was she the innocent daughter of a politician, but a mercenary, who cared little about what the Order had to say about her affairs in the Colonies.

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That's basically it for this one. These won't be extremely long one shots, more like just bursts of creativity I had to get out of my brain, but thanks for reading otherwise :)) - Pumpkin