The Devil's Child [OPEN]

[sofia ivanova]

Sofia wasn't sure what was going on, all she remembered was someone swiping her over the head for being Drachma and then next thing she knew she transformed and here she was crouched, blood dripping from her mouth and a stranger lying, his throat torn and misshapen and small gurgling noises erupting from his mouth. She retracted her fangs and her face reverted to that of a 12 year old. There was blood on her clothes and her face. She had to leave. What just happened.... Where am I?

She looked around, her pupils growing from slits to normal round human ones and the fur on her face disappearing, the only thing that stayed was her ears which poked out of her vibrantly red hair. Sofia was in a secluded alley and no body was passing through. She glanced, still confused about the person and sniffed the air. It had the tang of whiskey. He was probably drunk when he hit me... Why would he do that?

She started to run away, it wasn't safe to stay near the body. This had been happening more frequently lately, she would black out for a moment and 'wake up' with some stranger dead before her. After leaving the scene and escaping at least a few blocks away she hopped into an empty alley. Thankfully not many people were out and about so no one had seen her as a bloody mess. Sofia looked herself over and moved her bag off her shoulder. She pulled out some somewhat cleaner clothes and put the blood stained ones in her bag. Now that she was slightly more presentable she left the alley and walked along the snowy sidewalks.

Good, now no one can connect the crime with me... The innocent looking red headed twelve year old continued walking along the sidewalk, in clothes that obviously needed patches and no shoes. People looked at her like she was scum, but, she was used to it. Sofia would just have to endure her conditions until she could find a home, or at least some better clothes and maybe some shoes.

[ezio]

Ezio had not a clue who this little girl was that seemed to be causing so much chatter throughout the Brotherhood. News had travelled through Amestris and to Aerugo by word of mouth from assassin to assassin, speaking of a small child with ferocious red hair that had been taking down men and women alike in cold blood. It was a mystery to the Brotherhood. There seemed to be no pattern in her murders. There was no obvious motivation. Why would such a young child want to take the life of another? How was a child of her likeliness able to physically and mentally take a human down so easily? Several men in the Brotherhood had joked about considering training her as one of their own. Some were serious. But Ezio had a feeling that this girl was uncontrollable.

He decided, then, to make a trip out to Amestris where this young girl had been sighted most frequently. None of the other men accompanied him; Ezio had declined all offers. Perhaps it was out of pride or stubbornness, but Ezio couldn’t see the point in dragging someone along with him. He couldn’t imagine the girl to be very much trouble. After all, Ezio really had no intentions of going after her. All he wanted to do was track her down, follow her around for a while, and figure out what all the commotion was about. Honestly, Ezio didn’t believe a little girl could kill anyone. He wanted to debunk the rumors floating around the Brotherhood so that they could move on to more important things.

Thus the reason why Ezio found himself in Northern Amestris. The moment he had arrived, he immediately regretted taking on the mission of following this girl. Ezio absolutely loathed the cold and snow. Where he came from, it hardly ever got cold and he never had to deal with snow. A week had passed since Ezio arrived in Northern Amestris, and all he’d heard of the girl were whispers. He’d, of course, asked around. But not a soul could pinpoint her exact location. So Ezio took to what he knew best. He wandered the streets, hood over his head and his eyes on the sharp lookout, blending in and making sure not to draw too much attention to himself as an outsider.

This had been a rather unsuccessful week for Ezio, and he was starting to believe that this little redheaded girl did not exist. In a last attempt before he went back to his Inn for the day, Ezio scaled the nearest building when the coast was clear. He perched himself on the rooftop and sat completely still, scanning the immediate area. To Ezio’s surprise, a little girl who matched the description appeared out of an alley a few blocks up. Reacting quickly, Ezio jumped from rooftop to rooftop, following her movements carefully so as not to attract attention to himself from those on the streets below. He climbed his way back down to the ground in an alley a few blocks up from her and positioned himself against the corner of a building.

Ezio leaned against the wall, his arms folded across his chest, the hood of his jacket covering his face, and his left leg crossed over his right. He watched as the girl came closer to him. She can’t be much older than Emilio and Lavinia, Ezio noted, thinking of his eleven and ten year old brother and sister. There’s no way this child could have committed those murders. And yet Ezio remained still, his eyes narrowed as she approached. There just wasn’t something right about her and he couldn’t place his finger on it.

[sofia ivanova]

Most of the people avoided her, some of them taunted her. Sofia was used to the abuse. She was also pretty good at hiding the pain it gave her. She walked along thinking about what is was that had happened.

Sofia had started that day by waking up and going for scraps of food she found by a near by bakery. Then she went by skulking in the alleys. Trying her hardest on not being seen. She had been doing great too, until she walked down one of the back ways near an intersection. There had been a man there and he had sneered at her as he stumbled. Sofia had flinched as he raised a hand in her direction and smacked her on the head. She remembered it hurt, but, other then that she couldn't remember anything else. The next memory was the dying man and the fact she was covered in blood. Sofia had several instances like this. She had a lot of evidence that she was the one who had killed him. But, she didn't care that much when she thought about it.

Her ears flicked forward, like radars picking up the slightest of noises. She kept her head down though, Sofia didn't want conflict and she didn't want to see another Amestrian who would scoff and sneer at her. But, it was unavoidable. She was nearing whoever it was who had made the noise, she could hear the quiet breathing and the small noises his clothing made as he moved. They had done this to her, they made her a 'better' human. They enhanced her sight, smell and hearing, even when she wasn't in her 'were' form she was still above average.

Sofia was now a few feet from him and couldn't contain herself from bringing her head up to stare at the person. Her blood red eyes looked him over and she sighed, Great more abuse from another man. Usually she would be over joyed at the thought of a new friend, but this was always her mood after she had killed someone. She was still somewhat unemotional and uncaring, Sofia was still transitioning personalities.

She shook her head at him and shrugged. Sofia sighed again and moved as far from him as she could as she continued past. Perhaps I can just go by and he won't do anything... Sofia tried to walk calmly but she was genuinely scared, he seemed to be watching her. What does he want?

[ezio]

There was no doubt in Ezio’s mind that this wasn’t your ordinary little girl. He watched the way she moved: quick, smooth, and agile. Her ears pointed out of her hair, flicking towards any noise that could cause an alarm for her. The color of her hair and eyes were a vibrantly unnatural color. Her build was much too sculpted for her to be anything like the rest of girls her age. Was this girl even human? She looked up at him, and Ezio met her gaze. There was no use hiding the fact that he was interested in her. She knew it. She had the skills to detect him. Ezio didn’t fear this, for he’d faced many opponents skilled in this way. But to be facing such a young girl was strange for him.

Perhaps the rumors are true, Ezio mused. Here is the proof standing ten feet away from me. He didn’t want to believe it. He didn’t want to have to report back to the Brotherhood that there was a little girl in Northern Amestris who had natural skill to rival his own. But there was no way this girl could ever become one of them. Ezio could tell just by looking at her that she had no self-control. She would kill anyone in her path, and the Brotherhood had a creed to uphold – their swords would never touch the flesh of an innocent.

Ezio wasn’t quite sure what to do next. She was quickly approaching and he would only have a matter of second to decide whether to let her go, or to end her right there and then. He just didn’t know if he could. What if this wasn’t the little girl? Or what if it was, and she was an innocent child who had been wrongly accused of these Northern Amestrian murders? This was a tricky situation for him. It took everything in Ezio’s power to force the thoughts of his younger brothers and sisters from his mind, but she reminded him so much of them. They were young and innocent and completely unaware of the dangers around them.

Clenching his jaw, Ezio forcefully pushed those thoughts from his mind and focused directly on the girl who was now passing by him. At that exact moment, a woman’s scream echoed from a few blocks away. Several people on the street turned, some of them ran to find the source of the screaming. In the midst of chaos, Ezio was able to make a split-second decision. Before the girl even had a chance, Ezio grabbed her around the waist, gently yet firmly, and lifted her off her feet. He swiftly ducked into the alley. He moved a few feet in before placing the girl down on the ground and kneeled before her as he would when speaking with one of his youngest siblings, his hands on her upper arms to hold her in place.

”I ask that you remain calm,” Ezio said, locking his eyes on hers. ”I am not here to harm you. You have my word.” This was not how Ezio normally treated one of his targets. He was usually much more aggressive and tended to end their lives quickly. But his job this time was not to kill the girl and he had no intentions of doing so.

[sofia ivanova]

Sofia tried to make it past him with out flinching or running, but, just as she was about to give up and sprint a scream shocked her and she about jumped a mile. So, naturally when he grabbed her she hissed like the cheetah-human she was and struggled. Oh my, is he going to kill me? These were the only thoughts going through her brain at the moment as he carried her into the alley. She attempted kicking at him, but it was no use. They moved into the alley and he set her down. Sofia would have run but, something about the gentleness in the way he grabbed her and his voice kept her from transforming and leaving.

Her pupils were like slits now and she was struggling only slightly as he held her arms. No harm? Somehow that was unbelievable, all she had gotten since coming to Amestris was more abuse. Of course, that was all she had gotten most of her life, so it was a huge shock that someone would kneel to her. Usually they would try to run and then she would hunt them down. Like those kids who had killed her only friend... Tears sprang to her eyes as she remembered her faithful dog, the only creature who didn't make fun of her. All through her life she was tested on by scientists and abused, both by the scientist and the people who had seen her.

Sofia coughed and swallowed, her attempt at not crying but, it was a little late. She was terrified, Sofia had no wish to die and she didn't want to be captured again for more testing. Her reason for leaving Drachma was to leave behind her identity and be nameless. She sniffled a little as he spoke, saying he wouldn't hurt her. "That's what.... they used to say..." Her voice was weak and rough from being out of use for so long. She spoke softly and tried her best to stop the tears.

Sofia had murdered many people, and yet, she was still only twelve. She was scared and she was young. She didn't like this man, he scared her even more then waking up next to a dead body. She looked down, hiding her face and she shook her head so her hair would cover her ears. Sofia was dirty, she was way to skinny to be alive and her clothes were torn and muddy. She was still muscular and such, and perhaps if she was in better condition she could easily get out of his grasp and run, but, alas she wasn't and she only had the hope he would keep his word and not kill her.

[ezio]

Ezio didn’t know why it had taken him so long to figure it out before. Perhaps it was because he had never seen one with his own two eyes. He had only heard about them from Amestrian stories and their alchemy books. He’d read the descriptions, hardly able to stomach that such a thing could exist in this world. This was something so unnatural and never attempted in his country. Ezio’s country was one of nobility and trade. It was rare that an alchemist came of his country. But the slits in her eyes and the hiss that emitted from her throat and the aura around her had convinced Ezio for once and all that she was not human. This little girl was a chimera.

Ezio knew fear. He understood it. He could read it, especially in the eyes of his target. But the fear and hurt that were in this little girl’s eyes was on a whole new level that Ezio had never encountered. There in her eyes was the bewildered look of an animal that feared capture. She had experienced these emotions in a way that Ezio had not and she seemed to have deep scarring that would take a lifetime to heal – if ever. Ezio’s heart wrenched and his stomach dropped as tears welled in her eyes. He may have been a stoic man, but a heartless man he was not.

His mind raced at her words, but outwardly, Ezio made no movement that could cause her to think so. What the hell does she mean by that? Ezio could not imagine what exactly this little girl had endured that caused her to live in fear and live in squalor in the streets, terrified of who lurked around the corner. Ezio did not ask; at least, not yet, anyway. They had to be somewhere private. He had to prove that she could trust him.

”Come with me, miss.” Before she could respond, Ezio stood to his full height, towering over her, and placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. He led her out of the alleyway and into the main road, walking back where they had come from. As they passed the alley where the scream had come from, Ezio stopped for a moment. Officials of the military had shown up and seemed to be investigating what appeared to be a murder scene. Ezio continued walking, bringing the girl with him, until he reached the Inn that he had been staying at.

Ezio took the girl up the flight of wooden stairs and into his small room equipped with a single bed, a couch, and a coffee table. He closed to the door behind them and then the curtains to outside. Ezio removed his jacket and the belts that were crossed along his waist that held his weaponry. Ezio then turned towards the girl. ”Use the shower and get cleaned up,” Ezio told her, pointing towards a single door in the room that led to a personal bathroom. ”I’ll call for a hot meal, and someone to clean your clothes. In the meantime, one of mine will suffice.” He handed her a plain white, long-sleeved cotton shirt and nodded towards the door. ”Go on, then.”

[sofia ivanova]

Sofia was still frightened, although a bit mystified that this stranger hadn't hurt her yet. Amestrians where all, it seemed, very racist to Drachmans, but then again, he didn't quite look Amestrian. Maybe that's why she hadn't been hit or spit on yet. All of a sudden he stood and told her to come. She didn't have much of a choice. She was half dragged by him the other half walked. When he paused by the scene she had left, it seemed like seconds before but in actuality was a good half an hour, she paused and moved her face to them. She breathed in deeply, like a dog sniffing out prey. The smell of blood intrigued her, but she put that thought away. She continued on with him, although she wasn't quite sure why.

She widened her eyes and took in everything. A bed was there and some other furniture. She was confused, was he giving her a home? What was going on? Had she just been kidnapped? Sofia's nose twitched as she scented the room. This was an interesting person, what was he planing? He told her to take a shower and pointed to the room. She turned and looked at the door uncertainly and looked back at him as he continued talking. A meal sounded nice and she wondered briefly on what it would be until her mind returned back to the whole "shower" thing.

"Sho... Shower?" She cocked her head at him, clearly confused. The term shower was lost upon her, "What is that?" She had never been in an actual house before so that was really new to her. These new concepts where filling her head and she was trying to sort them down. House... Not lab... No testing tables... No animals... Sofia had been kept in a cell for most her life and whenever she was cleaned it was done by a scientist who tranquilized her first, usually so she wouldn't try to kill them. Her eyes were unfocused as she remembered their screams the day she escaped.

When he handed her the shirt Sofia came back to the real world and accepted the shirt from him, but, was more then reluctant to give him her clothes to wash. She shook her head fiercely and held onto her little knap sack. "Can... can you throw them away?" Sofia wanted to be done with those clothes, they weren't repairable anyways. Torn and covvered in mud and just a little blood.

[ezio]

Ezio furrowed his eyebrows in confusion as she questioned him about the shower. He could tell just by looking at her – and smelling her – that she hadn’t bathed in a while. But he just assumed that had been from living on the streets. What foreign land had this little girl come from where she had never encountered a shower before? Amestris and the countries that bordered it were highly advanced and civilized in this day and age. Then again, Ezio reminded himself, this girl probably had an incredibly unique upbringing. Who knew exactly how she came to be? Ezio didn’t know much of anything about the kind of people who created chimeras or where they created them.

”I’ll show you,” was his simple response. Again, Ezio kept his questions to himself. This little girl was nowhere near ready enough to answer any of them. He could see the suspicion and cautiousness in her eyes. Ezio felt a strange empathy for this hurt little girl, as if she were his own kin. Every time Ezio became overwhelmed with the urge to embrace her and comfort her, he had to remind himself that she was a complete stranger. She was a murderer. She was not a Visconti, nor was she of Aerugan birth. Ezio could not treat her as one of his own. He could, however, treat her decently as a human being and offer her the simple necessities of life that she was being denied.

Her next question struck Ezio again as odd, but he nodded in agreement. ”If that is what you prefer.” That meant, of course, he would have to buy her new clothes. She couldn’t walk around town wearing only a man’s shirt. ”Come with me.” He led her into the bathroom, where he pulled the curtain back and turned on the water. He adjusted the temperature so that it would be warm, but not hot enough to burn her skin. Ezio turned to her. ”You’ll need to undress and get in the water. Use the soap to wash your skin and hair. Don’t forget to rinse the suds off of your body and turn the water off when you’ve finished. Here is a towel to dry off,” he said, pointing at the towel hanging on a wooden rod attached to the wall. ”I’ll dispose of your clothes once you’ve bathed. If you need me, I’ll be right outside.”

Ezio turned and left the bathroom, shutting the door behind him. He walked the length of the room to the telephone perched on the bedside table, picked it up, and called downstairs for food. He didn’t know exactly how much this girl would eat, or what she would eat. To be safe, Ezio ordered enough to fill the stomachs of five large men, as well as tea, coffee, milk, and water. She would have to find something in the mass quantities of food that she liked. When Ezio finished, he hung up the phone and settled down onto the couch, opening the book he’d left on the coffee table and began reading while waiting for her to finish showering and for the food to arrive.

[sofia ivanova]

Sofia was extremely curious, when she saw the shower she was a bit mystified. He turned on the water and her eyes widened, How does it do that!? When he left she pulled off her clothes and attempted folding them before walking in the shower. The water was a relief, it was soothing and cleansing. Sofia looked around in amazement and tried to find the soap. She found it and scrubbed all over. After she had been completely washed she sat down, enjoying the warmth of the water. This had brightened her aspect on life considerably and when she finally got out of the shower she was like a new person.

She fumbled with the knobs on the faucet, attempting to imitate how he turned it on. After a few minutes she managed to turn it off. From then she dried off with the towel he had pointed to. She put on the shirt he gave her and looked herself over. The shirt was much too long for the sixty-four pound girl and it went past her knees, but, it would work. She smoothed back her still damp hair and opened the door, leaving the bathroom and it's lovely shower behind. She had pretty good timing too because as she walked out food appeared. For the first time in years she realized she might actually eat enough to fill her stomach. They set the food down on the little table. Her stomach roared as she breathed in. This was possibly the best day ever for Sofia.

She looked to the man and pointed to the food and then herself. Sofia knew how to talk, but, she didn't want to at the moment. She was still a little star struck about the water in the "shower" and food being brought to them. Without waiting for an answer she began eating. She didn't know half of the food on the table but, that was fine with her. She wasn't picky. She tried to imitate what little she had learned by watching people and attempted to eat with silverware but, that was not her forte and she soon gave up. She was just to hungry too wait.

After eating a large amount of food, she looked at him again. Who was this person? Why was he being so nice? She wasn't overly concern, but, even with the food and the warmth of a home she still had to be cautious. He was a stranger, albeit a nice one, but still, he could be lying. "Are you going to tell them I'm here? I don't want them to know, I think they'll kill me if they know... I don't want to die." Sofia frowned and shrugged, at least she had had a good meal before she died.

This man was different, he didn't scorn her for being Drachma and he didn't call her a freak because of her ears. Sofia wanted to know who he was. "I am... Sofia. Who are you?"

[ezio]

Not long after the girl had gotten in the shower, a knock on the door alerted Ezio that the food had arrived. He set his book down and walked over to the door, opening it and allowing the woman to push in the cart of food he had ordered. With her help, he took the food off the cart and onto the coffee table in front of the couch. She made a comment about the mass amount of food being too much for one person. Ezio didn’t respond. He simply handed her the money he owed and ushered her along the way. At this point, Ezio figured it would be a good idea to keep it a secret that he had taken this girl under his care. It didn’t matter that this woman was a servant at a small inn. If anything should go awry, this woman would have known he was with her.

Just after Ezio had shut the door behind the service woman, the young girl came out of the bathroom. Ezio looked at her and noticed a complete change in her. While still cautious, she was much more relaxed around him. He could tell that her trust was steadily growing. Her attention quickly directed towards the mass amount of food sitting on the coffee table. Ezio watched her carefully. She did not speak a word, but instead used gestures to ask if she could eat or not. He did not answer so as to see what her next move would be. In a matter of seconds, the young girl divulged in anything and everything she could get her hands on; literally, her hands, having completely dismissed the silverware on the table.

Ezio sat down on the couch and waited until she began to slow down. He picked at the food that she hadn’t touched or hadn’t finished. After a few bites, Ezio poured himself a cup of tea, stirring in a touch of sugar. He ate and drank, waiting for her to open up conversation. It wasn’t very long until she did so. He looked up at her, thoroughly confused, but made no show of it. She seemed to be talking in riddles, or perhaps she thought that Ezio knew whom ‘they’ were. Or was it possible that this girl was completely deranged? Did she live in her own little world up in her head? Did she see herself sitting across from him in small room in an inn? Or were they somewhere totally different? Ezio didn’t know exactly how to approach the situation, but decided the best way to go was to play along with her. ”No. If you swear to it, I’ll swear to it that this conversation stays between us. Nothing you say and nothing I say will live the confines of this room.”

For a split second, Ezio faltered. Was he to give his real name, or not? For one, he wanted the girl to trust him. But giving her his real name could cause a lot of issues – like someone tracking him down or putting her life in danger. ”Leone,” Ezio told her, giving her the name he used on missions. This was a mission, after all, no matter how he was treating this young girl or how he felt towards her. Ezio worried slightly for a moment about how she would react should she discover he was lying, but figured that wouldn’t ever be a problem. Ezio leaned back on the couch, folded his hands in his lap, and made direct eye contact with her. ”What role did you play in that man’s death?”

[sofia ivanova]

Sofia watched him eat, he was much less voracious then she had been and didn’t stuff himself like it was the last thing he would ever do. Unlike Sofia, the man probably got at least a meal a day. She was somewhat relieved when he promised to not tell them. It could have been stupid to become so much more relax by a promise that could easily be broken by either party but, Sofia was tired of being so cautious. She was only a twelve year old, how long would the world expect her to be on edge and safe. For once she just wanted to be cared for, this was probably as close as she would ever get. The man faltered, a hardly noticeable pause, before stating his name. But, when you’ve had a childhood like Sofia has anything would make you suspicious. She set that aside though, because the question he asked next was quite shocking to her.

For a moment she silently panicked, Did he lie? If I tell him the truth will he tell the scientists what I did…? Will he tell them where I am? Her pupils went from the contented large round orbs to worried slits within seconds. That was truly a terrifying question. Sofia looked at Leone with hurt in her eyes like he had betrayed her. Why couldn’t she just have one day where Sofia didn’t have anything happen. The food was nice, but, this was not. The shower was nice; Sofia wished she could just go back to that. The one day she finds someone remotely kind they have to turn the tables on her. If she had been transformed her hackles and what fur she would have, would have been raised, but thankfully she had not transformed and didn’t plan on it. When Sofia did transform Sofia didn’t look quite as innocent or as little as she did normally. There was just something about having blood red eyes and fangs that turned people off. She sighed quietly and for a moment she thought of leaving, but, that wouldn’t do, she wouldn’t get far anyways. Leone seemed in pretty good shape and she hadn’t forgotten about his belts with weapons.

Her ears flattened backward on her head, showing the discomfort that was hidden on her face. She took a few deep breaths, trying to discern which man Leone was talking about. Sofia came to the conclusion it was the latest kill. Her ears, that were pressed flat against her skull fought to stay down as she tried to force them to straighten. Sofia rolled her shoulders and opened her mouth, "I didn't mean to. He came around the corner, and he pushed me and he spit at me and called me 'scum' Why would he do that?" The words came out slow and quiet. She was unsure of how he would react, "The man hit me," She pointed to the top of her head, "Right here and after that I don't remember..." Sofia trailed off and hoped that he wouldn't blame her. She hadn’t lied, she told everything she knew, except for the fact she regained memory after the man was dead.

OOC: Just as a side note, usually when I say "their" or "they" or “Them” ambiguously I mean the scientists. I figured it would be best to refer to the scientists like that, because even though it’s third person it’s still from her mind so that’s what she could call the scientists. It's supposed to be unclear when she speaks but, I was just letting you know when I mention it in other parts. I assumed you knew but, just making sure... lol