Élise Lafleur

"There is a smuggler--a woman named Élise Lafleur... She knows every bog and tangle of the swamp."

- Agaté, describing Élise to Aveline, 1766.

Élise Lafleur was a smuggler that, together with her partner Roussillon, ran smuggling operations in the Louisiana Bayou during the 18th century. Following their meeting in 1766, she became a close ally of Assassin Aveline de Grandpré and aided her on various occasions.

In 2012, her genetic memories were used as an Animi Avatar by the entertainment branch of the Templar company Abstergo Industries, as part of their geosimulation workspace on the portable version of the Animus console, under the title of the Thief.

Early life
"Rousillon saved my life once, long ago. I figured I owed him, so I helped him expand his "business". The Ol' Devil showed me a few tricks too, taught me his trade, if you will."

- Élise, on how she became a smuggler, 1766.

Little is known of Élise's background prior to her meeting with Roussillon, who at one point saved her life. Feeling indebted to him, she aided him in his smuggling endeavors, subsequently picking up many of his tricks. Élise eventually grew so competent at her trade, as well as well-versed in navigating the bayou, she became the smugglers' unofficial leader.

Conflict with Mackandal
"They've set up their base around a wrecked ship that ran aground not far from here. The other base is a little further along. There!"

- Élise, indicating the locations of Mackandal's camps, 1766.

In 1766, around the same time governor Antonio de Ulloa arrived in New Orleans, Élise and the smugglers began to face opposition from a nascent cult that sought to overtake smuggling operations in the bayou. With the group of followers quickly expanding, their attempts to force out Élise and her cohorts soon grew bolder and eventually escalated into violence. The smugglers were subsequently rescued by the timely arrival of Aveline de Grandpré.

Aveline then enlisted Élise's help in locating the leader of the thugs, a man who called himself François Mackandal. Following some convincing from her partner, Élise agreed to lead Aveline to some of Mackandal's encampments, which the Asssassin subsequently eliminated. After discovering a ceremony being held on the Eve of Saint John, Élise and Aveline traveled to San Danje – a settlement within the bayou – to learn of the ceremony's whereabouts.

There, they spoke briefly with the village's resident houngan, who agreed to aid them if they eliminated the false Mackandal, who proved to be a dark influence over the settlement's people. He then divined the ceremony's location and provided Aveline with an antidote as a precautionary defense against Mackandal's poisons. Setting off in their canoes once more, the pair soon tracked Mackandal down to.

Finding him plotting with the Templar Rafael Joaquín de Ferrer, they discovered that Mackandal was truly Baptiste, a former disciple of the real Mackandal, an Assassin Mentor. While Élise distracted Baptiste's thugs, Aveline snuck closer, pretending to be part of the ceremony, and eventually managed to assassinate Baptiste. Later, on Roussillon's request, Aveline would locate and eliminate the last remnants of Baptiste's followers, ensuring the smugglers could move their wares freely again.

Vanishing slaves
"The other day, I saw something, and I said to myself, Élise, old girl, something's not right... Convoys, loaded with the strangest cargo: People. Dozens of them."

- Élise, informing Aveline about the recent convoys, 1768.

In 1768, Élise reunited with Aveline, who had come to investigate a recent rash of disappearances in New Orleans. Élise confirmed she had seen convoys carting off people and though she didn't know where the slaves were headed, she knew the convoys originated from the bayou's fort.

With Élise having agreed to help, the two women met again the next day and raced to catch up to a convoy that had just passed. After Aveline took out the guards, the pair were rebuffed by one of the slaves named Chrisfait, whom Élise recognized due to having hired him before. Despite his complaints about the wasted chance at freedom and employment, Chrisfait could not tell the two women where the worksite he would've been transported to was located, leading the pair to investigate the fort.

Although Aveline managed to silently eliminate the men guarding the entrance, the two women were immediately spotted upon entering the fort itself, causing the ranking officer to flee. Aveline swiftly gave chase, while Élise provided cover fire with a musket. With the officer having been killed by Aveline, the two women instead hoped to gain more information from the slaves, but found that, just like Chrisfait, they were upset they would not be able to board the work ship. Attempting to diffuse the situation, Élise offered to escort the laborers back to San Danje, while Aveline returned to New Orleans.

Sabotaging Vázquez's plans
"We have been noticing rather a lot of men in Spanish uniforms... although I would question both their manhood and their allegiance!"

- Roussillon, on Vázquez's troops, 1771.

In 1771, Aveline journeyed to the smugglers' hideout to warn them of the insurgence of Spanish troops, bribed by Diego Vázquez in the bayou. Seeing an opportunity to hamper Vázquez's plans, the smugglers worked together with Aveline to run a ship aground, by tampering with a nearby lighthouse. Once the ship had washed up on an island in the bayou, they set out to plunder its contents, which lead to Aveline journeying back to Chichen Itza.

Two years later, Élise and Rousillon were tasked with transporting supplies to Patriots fighting in the American Revolutionary War. However, troops hired by Vázquez were once again hindering the smugglers' operations by attempting to steal their supplies and preventing them passage through the swamp. Aveline then arrived, asking for their aid in helping her escort an escaped slave named George through the bayou, in return for protecting their cargo from the Spanish.

The smugglers agreed and with Aveline's help, they successfully reached their destination. As Élise handed the supplies over to the Patriots, Aveline asked whether they would allow George to accompany them. They accepted, and welcomed him into their ranks.

Personality and characteristics
Élise was a rather sardonic individual, projecting a tough demeanor to her peers, likely as a consequence of her profession being male-dominated. She was also quite abrasive in her interactions with her business partner, Roussillon, offering to "hit him on the other side" when he claimed to be wounded and referring to him as either a drunk or "old man". In turn, Roussillon would usually use a dubious inflection when calling her a "lady", to poke fun at her tomboyish nature. The only exception proved to be the Patriot Hopton, who Élise treated far more amiably, even saying she "hoped to see him again", suggesting a mild attraction on her part.

Initially, Élise treated Aveline harshly and even made disparaging comments about the latter's upbringing, calling it "gentle breeding", implying that the Assassin could not handle the rough terrain of the Louisianan swamps. However, as the two worked together, Élise mellowed out and came to view Aveline as an equal, and later a friend, as shown by her readiness to help Aveline escort George to the north.

Élise also displayed a whimsical side on occasion, stating that she would prefer to be mentioned as "Queen of the Bog, Protector of Innocents, Paddling Instructor, and Champion of Trade", despite the title presumably being too long to fit on a wanted poster.

Equipment and skills
Having spent many years in the bayou, Élise had grown adept at navigating it, being both a capable freerunner, to the point of being able to keep up with Aveline, as well as a competent canoeist. Her skills and knowledge of the swamp were so renowned that even Agaté spoke of her favorably, which was by no means an easy feat. In combat, Élise wielded a machete, much like her partner Roussillon.

Trivia

 * The name Élise is a diminutive form of the French name Élisabeth, meaning "God's promise". The surname "Lafleur" consists of the definite article la and the French word fleur, which translates to "flower".

Reference

 * Assassin's Creed III: Liberation