“Wrong information...?”

Luciano questioned and looked at Elena in such utter disbelief and dismay as if the former Assassin had just insulted his mother. During his long career as a Templar, very few had the audacity to question the authenticity of the information he acquired from a variety of sources with each extortion method crueller than the last. He had long learned a fact that he had kept himself to ever since: that fear was a powerful man's most effective and most versatile tool. Rare was the fool who chose honour or other petty ideals over their life when presented with a blade at their throat with someone not afraid to use it.

Yet maybe, just maybe, Luciano have run into one such fool. Whichever way it truly was, there was no reason other than the sole blow to the Templar's pride to discard the woman's objection, who seemed just as confident in her truth as he was in his.
“You might have heard it from here, even. [i]Quel mercante[/i] screamed so loud it was almost pathetic...” he recalled the moments when it all began. The screeching yell that snapped him out of his peaceful watch and led him on a tiring chase to acquire information which may not have even been correct. Too bad he had already given back the pouch of florins, he thought. It would have been a worthy consolation for his troubles. The merchant would not have missed it anyway. He did not doubt that the thief was right in that regard at least.

“He got robbed in broad daylight. I chased the [i]ladro[/i] down and got what I know from him under threat of taking his life if he lied to me.”
“[i]Luridi popolo[/i] like this usually do not care much for their lives,” Emerico noted, addressing the thievery with a less than flattering term. No doubt his mentor had at least some influence on his disdain for those of the lowest classes.
“I've done it before—you would be surprised how desperate many of them are.” At this point Luciano looked over to Elena and Alessandro. “As I see it, aside from theft or joining the [i]Assassini[/i], there is little way out for most. Isn't that true?”
This was something he would perhaps not have said back at the [i]Le Stinche[/i], where he watched his every word carefully. Still, he hoped that telling the truth—according to him, at least—would not sour the four's relationship with one another.

“More leads are never a problem—we will investigate both.” The Templar made the final decision, too stubborn to admit he was wrong but too cautious to just straight out discard Elena's information. “I believe we are capable of handling whatever is thrown our way.”

————

[i][b]Nighttime[/b][/i]

Gone was the bustle of the crowd under the warm blessing of the sunlight. Night had fallen over Florence, the streets were quiet and the air was peaceful. All of this was but the surface however, as something important was about to unfold here, more precisely under the towering walls of the Basilica of San Lorenzo, something that would set further, even more crucial events in motion.

That was what Luciano de Vicari hoped for, at least, as he led his team under the guise of the dark towards the church, taking side streets and hidden paths just in case anyone was watching the surrounding rooftops.
“I have thought it over,” he said quietly. “The thief only knows me from the four of us. If, by the off chance, he had set up a trap...it was for me only. This is why I will be the first to approach the said meeting place. The rest of you should have sight on the scene, but stay unseen at the same time. Especially you two, Elena, Alessandro...you are still dead to them after all, remember. It would be best to keep the pretence up for as long as possible.”

The old church was well in their sights by now. They approached it from the back, where the entrance to its open inner area—the most likely location for a secret meeting between thieves—was. Once they got sufficiently close, Luciano signalled them to spread out around the area. Emerico did not go too far, staying under the roofs of nearby houses, moving around slowly and keeping watch for any noise or sight.
The Templar meanwhile had to decide whether to take the direct entrance through one of the openings in the wall or climb up on the wall. While the latter option seemed better at first thought, he quickly realised that he had neither the agility nor the grace of an Assassin skilled in such things. So he stepped up to an opening as quietly as he could, blade on hand already and took a peek inside.

Much to his delight and somewhat relief, he immediately spotted two people in ragged clothes talking to each other. While it could hardly be called a ‘meeting’, he convinced himself that the night was still young and others might come later. He saw that the two were talking, but could not make out anything, so he decided to move closer. One slow and soundless step at a time, he inched deeper inside the church courtyard, hiding behind pillars whenever he could...