"I don't know what you're talking about, Uncle Mario," Ezio replied at once. He wasn't very convincing.

"Don't give me that, boy. I was your age once, remember?" Mario snorted. Though he had to admit he was glad Ezio was at least waiting until the girl was a full-fledged Assassin.

"I haven't forgotten, Uncle," Ezio replied. He grinned cheekily. "I learned from the best, did I not?"

Mario snorted. "Just don't do anything stupid," he said, giving Ezio a look. Not quite a Look, but a look.

"I haven't yet," Ezio replied valiantly ignoring the look. "We shall see how long that streak lasts."

"See that it lasts until she's taken her Leap of Faith," Mario said, looking at Ezio. "Then you two will be free to do whatever you care to do."

"I know, Uncle," Ezio replied. "Trust me, I know." The problem was getting her to her Leap of Faith, and he knew it.

Mario chuckled and shook his head. "You look worried," he couldn't help but tease.

"Anna is afraid of heights," Ezio replied dryly. "I think I have a right to be slightly concerned."

Mario choked. Just a little. "...Please tell me you're joking." An Assassin? Scared of heights? Oh this was a new one.

"You'll just have to desensitize her, then."

"Would I joke about something like that, Uncle?" Ezio replied. "I'm working on desensitizing her. The process is... ongoing."

Mario was quiet for a few moments. "Take her up on the wall," he suggested. "Show her around up there. Get her used to the height while she has something solid under her feet."

Ezio thought about that, and then nodded.

"I'll do that," he said. It was worth a shot.

Mario nodded and watched his nephew start to leave.

"Oh, and Ezio? There is a difference between charm and flirting. Keep that in mind."

That said, he went back to his paperwork.

Ezio contemplated that quietly as he went to find Anna and see what she was up to. No time like the present to get her up onto the wall, after all.

Elsewhere, Iris wasn't looking forward to getting on a horse again. She wasn't anywhere as sore as she'd been before, but she still eyed the saddle with apprehension before sighing in resignation and getting on.

Anna was already over by the walls, although she'd been pulled into a conversation with two men. She snickered at something one of them said. Apparently they'd known Ezio for a while and were telling her stories about him, since she'd meandered over and asked.

Altair couldn't help but smirk faintly at that. Really, traveling by horse wasn't so bad. He could think of worse ways to travel. Besides, he'd already decided to take their journey in short bursts, so he could have her train in several cities along the way.

"You're enjoying this torture," Iris accused habitually as she urged her horse after his. "I know you are."

"I was wondering where you had gotten to," Ezio commented as he came up behind Anna. He noticed she was wearing fewer layers than usual.

Altair smirked faintly. "Our next stop is almost a week's ride," he said instead. "On the way, I will teach you horseback combat." Because that had happened to him. Multiple times. And the better prepared she was, the higher chances she'd have.

Anna turned to look at him with a grin, even as the two men excused themselves. "Oh, you know. Just getting to know the locals."

"A week?" Iris asked. It wasn't the horseback combat that threw her, oh no. It was the fact that she had to ride the horse for a week. Proof her priorities were in the right order, of course.

"So I see," Ezio replied in such a way that said he didn't believe for a moment she was that innocent, although he did grin just the slightest bit in return to show he was teasing. "Well, come with me. We have time for a little extra training today."

"Yes. If we make good time." Which he intended to. Because he could and would keep traveling after dark if he had to make up time.

Anna sighed but followed him anyway, figuring that protesting would do no good. She did grumble though, mostly out of habit.

Iris sighed in resignation. It wasn't as if she could protest, she knew by now he wouldn't listen. So she just followed him and wished really, really hard that the week was already over.

Ezio led Anna up onto the wall, where he knew the view of the landscape would be best. The wall was definitely wide enough that a person had to put effort into falling off, most of the time, but still high enough for his purpose.

Altair kept the pace comfortable for the first day or so. And then he showed her how to stay on the horse while fighting, and how to fight without hitting yourself or your mount. All very important things.

Anna was a little wary of going up there, but she managed. Hey, at least the view was nice and distracting.

Iris wouldn't argue that they were important things. She just didn't want to be sore while learning them; not that Altair cared, of course. But she did learn them.

"The wall is very stable," Ezio said as he walked with Anna along the top. "There is nothing to worry about up here."

Altair did keep track of how sore she looked, and how well she was able to move. Partially because there was no point in teaching her things if she was too tired or too sore, but also partially because he did care. Which still scared him a little.

Anna nodded. "Yeah. See, this is okay. It's things like that damned church tower that are not."

"An error in judgement," Ezio replied. An error he wouldn't make again. "I am sorry for that. I hadn't realized just how violent a reaction you would have."