if the mafia can learn to love

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

Avi recovered from her shock relatively quickly and sprang up from the chair. She raced after him and threw the door open. "Nikolai, wait!"

[assassinrue]

Nikolai kept going, pleading that she wouldn't come after him.

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

The fact that he ignored her only served to make her angry, so of course she came after him. Charged after him, really. "Nikolai!" she said again as she jogged toward him.

[assassinrue]

Nikolai spun on his heel, nearly slamming into her. "What?" He snapped.

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

Avi gasped in surprise and took a step back. "Where are you going?" She tried to sound composed, but the look in his eyes actually frightened her. So, instead of sounding demanding, her voice was shaky. "Who was that?"

[assassinrue]

"Snake. There are apparently more bodies I need to collect." He turned and began to walk away again.

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

Avi stood rooted to the spot, feeling utterly helpless. She couldn't stop Nikolai, and she sure as hell didn't want to go with him. So what, then? Helpless.

[assassinrue]

Nikolai stopped at the top of the stairs and looked back at her. "You're the most beautiful and strong willed girl I've ever met." He paused for a fraction of a second. "Mamu loves going to the park and it's been a while." With that he disappeared.

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

Avi pondered his words for a moment, both parts actually. What wonderful parting words... and then he mentioned his cat. Somehow, it made it that much more powerful, though she couldn't begin to explain why. Like he was just saying it as a passing remark, and it wasn't a big deal. So she returned inside, searched around a bit to find Mamu's 'walking gear' and then took the cat out of the house. She felt ridiculous walking a cat, but it kept her mind off of the horrible things Nikolai was probably doing.

[assassinrue]

Nikolai was always impressed with how well he remembered these things from Russia. He was able to kidnap the men without anyone noticing and he felt guilty admitting to himself that he liked the shock on their faces when they saw each other all tied up in a row. These men owed Snake so much money, time, drugs. They pretty much owed Snake their lives. He had made them and they had taken it for granted. So they would pay with their sanity, their futures, their bodies.

Nikolai had been taught to start small, a bamboo wedge under the fingernail, then maybe move up to knife play or taking a tooth out. Water boarding was effective but he hated it. Then he'd take it up a notch. Maybe he'd start removing body parts, or his favorite, drilling into their bones.

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

With no idea what was going on, Avi walked the cat through the park. She got a couple of stares from people, as expected, but she soon got over it. Mamu was adorable. She would prance back and forth, chasing bugs and leaves and basically anything that moved. She'd always wanted a cat, but her family couldn't afford to take care of one.

[assassinrue]

(that made me smile with cuteness)

Nikolai was impressed with how quickly a few of the men talked, he was also very impressed with the men who didn't say anything until they were a little too close to having a near death experience. A few phone calls were made and copious amounts of money was shifted from each man's secret account into Snake's. One man was killed simply because his debt was too much. Nikolai set them free, cleaned up, and went home.

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

By the time Nikolai got there, she was already back and sitting on the couch with Mamu curled up on her lap and purring up a storm. Really, she was trying to watch TV but she couldn't hear anything over her motor.

[assassinrue]

Nikolai walked into his house. He knew where Avi was without looking, he could hear Mamu's purr the moment he unlocked the door, but he didn't look at them, didn't acknowledge them. He walked straight back to the back of the apartment, flung his clothes off as soon as he was in his room and hurried into a scalding shower.

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

Avi's eyes tracked him as he passed. For considered following him for a moment, but then she heard the shower and sighed softly.

[assassinrue]

If only he could wash away who he was, his past. Everything. If only some hot water and soap could really fix your life. Nikolai sighed and eventually got out, wrapping a towel around his hips and absentmindedly wandering to the kitchen.

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

When she heard the bathroom door open, Avi pushed Mamu--not without protest--from her lap and went to meet him in the kitchen.

[assassinrue]

Nikolai twitched, a little surprised. He looked at her but was unable to make a sound.

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

Avi froze in the doorway when she caught sight of him. Shirtless. And in a towel. She averted her eyes and cleared her throat. "Ah... did you have a nice shower?"

[assassinrue]

"Um I suppose so. Sorry I've had to leave like that." Nikolai turned away from her.