Tuesday, 10/16/07
Who: Sydni and Mikhail What: A revelation and a romance Where: Mikhail's Office When: Afternoon
The week had been going surprisingly well, despite a few mishaps here and there. Mikhail sat on the floor of his office with his back against the wall as he lounged in the sun. A little bizarre, sure, but he was too comfortable to move more than his arms to feed himself. He was having a light snack before Sydni turned up for her control training. Pop Tarts were disgusting to Mikhail, he found them to be flaky, chalky, and vile. Yet he was eating a strawberry Pop Tart anyway because it was the only snack nearby. The coffee he had sitting by his right thigh did not help or hinder the taste. It all just meshed together into a nasty snack.
Music was playing from his laptop. He had discovered an online radio that played a live feed from Russia. The man felt gifted to have a bit of sanity and news from his home country. There was a car crash on a major highway, poor soul. It was raining there, you see. Rain in Russia was not usually pleasant if it came down in sheets, or even in half-sheets. Mikhail shook his head as he listened to the man go on about the traffic back up. In his own language the werewolf shouted at the radio, and in turn the people who were idiots, to get off of the highway at some exit or another and take the backroad.
Picking up his mug, Mikhail took a sip of the black coffee and felt the hot liquid run down his throat. Now all he had to do was wait for Sydni to show, but she had a few minutes before their session was supposed to start.
---
After the horrible evening on Saturday, Sydni had woken up refreshed on Sunday. She was still hurt, and sad, but the desolate feeling she had felt had lifted. A new day sometimes helped. Now she was determined. She would regain her control - Charlie would be able to trust her again. Whenever someone told her she couldn't, she simply did. There no argument.
With this in mind, she went to her tutoring session with Mikhail more than a little determined. She would do better. She would be controlled, and learn to be one with the wolf again. She would even go on the hunt with Fenrir and Heather. Partly, she wanted to make sure they kept the peace. But also, she knew it was one way to learn to co-exist with her wolf. Step into her world in her human state.
Reaching the door to his office, she knocked.
---
At the knock, Mikhail lifted his head and glanced over the rim of his coffee. "Is open!" he called out before taking another sip. He then got to his feet, mug half empty, and put the drink on his desk next to his laptop. The pair of hosts on the radio station were arguing back and forth about some celebrity or another, bickering over her scandal. Mikhail didn't bother turning the station off, it didn't occur to him that Sydni might not want to hear it. Was arguing in another language more or less painful than in your own?
"How is?" he asked while leaning against the desk, arms crossing over his t-shirt covered chest. Because they were inside and it was particularly nice in his office, the man had left his jacket hanging over the back of his chair. A dark blue shirt stretched over his torso instead, the round collar stopping just at the dip in his neck, the sleeves fitted around his strong biceps. Tattoos paced up and down his arms, the ink faded from time. He hadn't re-inked lately.
"Good classes, yes?"
---
Sydni entered at the invitation, and sat in her usual place. She couldn't help a slight rise of color to her cheeks - she had dreamed about Mikhail. Nothing dirty, but it was totally inappropriate to be dreaming of a coworker, and it made her blush.
"Better," she answered truthfully. If she hadn't already been blushing, she would have done so now, remembering the weakness to which he had been witness. She appreciated his discretion, but more importantly, his friendship. He had been truly gentle and kind to her. His outburst had not been violent, but forceful, and she had needed that.
"Yes..." she said almost questioningly. Her classes were generally fine, but Peyton still caused her a great deal of stress. Of course she would be in her science class.
"So, what shall we start with today?" She was all business when she had a goal to reach.
---
Nodding, glad she was doing better, Mikhail waved his hand for her to come in and make herself comfortable. As he leaned against the desk he pondered what would they do today. He hadn't really been thinking about it and it brought a somewhat embarrassed smirk to his face. "Hmm," he hummed while considering tactics. The usual seemed so boring, but that was all they could really do. Meditation was the best thing for this, really.
"We sit. I think should keep doing normal routine. Hm?" A brow raised in question to confirm his opinion. If Sydni wanted to try something else, she was more than welcome to suggest it. He was half tempted to tell her to go to the gym with him. Mikhail believed you could only be strong against the wolf if you were both mentally and physically prepared to fight it. Yet Sydni needn't be subject to such extreme ideas just now.
"Want drink?" His eyes flicked to the small fridge in the corner of the room where he always kept various teas or waters for his guests in case they were thirsty.
---
Sydni nodded at his suggestion. She figured that was what they would be doing. She didn't mind doing the same thing. Repetition would make it second nature, which was what she needed. And if he had suggested going to the gym, she would have been all for it. She was an athlete, really, with all the swimming she did, but she had wanted training, too. The brunette had asked Charlie before, but it had never worked out. Strength of mind <i>and</i> body were important for total well-being in her opinion.
"Yes, thank you," she said, and got up to get a drink. She knew where they were; she had been here often enough. On her return, she waited for him to begin, used to his guided meditations. His voice, accent included, was soothing.
---
While the woman got her drink, Mikhail watched her from the corner of his eye. He was partially in thought while reaching around for his drink. He grabbed hold of the mug just fine, but he missed the handle and wrapped his fingers around the top, very close to the edge. Before he could even see what he had done, or fix it, he was going for a sip and losing the mug completely. It tipped and he caught it, but the motion sent a splash of hot coffee down the front of his shirt.
Swearing in Russian, as usual, he put the mug down while hissing angrily at himself for being an idiot. More embarrassing moments as usual.
"Gah," he sighed while wiping off the mug with a napkin that was just in the bottom of the secon drawer. He kept them for such emergencies. But that did not take care of his shirt.
"Nn, not worry. Sit, sit. We keep going." He could instruct her while taking care of his problem all by himself. It was nothing that hadn't happened one hundred times in his long life, after all.
---
The sudden outburst made her jump and she turned to look at him. "Oh, no, are you ok?" Scalding coffee was never good. At his assurances, the lycan took a seat and opened the bottle of water fo a sip. Unlike her companion, she successfully kept the liquid in her mouth.
While he took care of his shirt, she took a moment to calm and center herself, closing her eyes and visualizing her energies balancing. She did it during any spellwork or rituals, so she was quite adept at it and it only took a few seconds before she opened her eyes again.
---
No, hot coffee was not good. His skin could feel it burning through his shirt like fire and he pulled the fabric away before it caused any real issue. Honestly, Mikhail was glad it hadn't been on his pants. <i>That</i> was never pleasant. With an eye on Sydni as she sat, drank, and focused, he quietly walked across the office to a bag and opened the top. The zipper was quiet, fortunately, and he did his best to stay hushed and unnoticed.
"Ready?" asked Mikhail in a soft tone, his voice deep and rumbling in his chest as he picked through the back. "Image scale, weighted one side. . ."
Being a brilliant multitasker, the older man stood when he found his extra shirt. The bag was for emergency shift cases and was often brought with him out on the night of the full. He didn't like wandering around on the campus naked with students all over the place. Laying his new cotton t-shirt, gray, on the desk, he unbuckled the belt around his jeans and pulled the hem of his other shirt up and out where they had been tucked in. He was facing Sydni, watching her to make sure nothing went arye.
"When see scale, put self on one side, wolf on other. Image scale move back an' forth, never equal. . ."
---
Sydni had begun to visualize the image when the sound of metal clinking crashed her out of her state. Opening her eyes languidly, the only thing she noticed was Mikhail... undressing?! A shocked look came over her face before she realized he was just changing his shirt. Slightly rattled, and feeling her face warm, she tried to refocus, but a glint of metal caught her eye and it was like she had suddenly slipped back into her dream of the previous night.
Totally distracted from any meditation, she blurted out, "Where did you get that charm?" It was totally insane, but she had to ask.
---
One arm through the sleeve of his shirt, Mikhail stopped and looked up at Sydni. "Not concentrating," he said suspiciously. She wanted to know about a silly necklace? His eyes turned down to the chain around his neck, the charm hanging just a hair above his sternum. Where did he get it? Using the moment to think it over, the man slung his other arm through the shirt sleeve and pulled the item over his head. It felt better to be dressed, although he hoped he hadn't offended Sydni. Probably, in retrospect, he should have asked her first.
"Ah. Gift," he told the brunette while tucking the hem of the shirt into his jeans quickly. The action was over in a matter of seconds for it was just an every day routine. He had it down pat.
"Young woman in Russia. I save life. Stopped car--it not go so fast." Mikhail hated to make himself out to be some kind of hero. He never looked at himself as such, even if he really was. Saving women and children from a car, even a slow one, was an act of bravery. Being in the navy was an act of bravery. To that little girl he had been her hero, the way he hung out with her though she was only small.
He just hated that he would probably never have done any of it if it weren't for his affliction.
---
No, she wasn't concentrating. She was distracted now. Having someone very handsome and very kind start undressing suddenly in her presence would do that. And then to have real life echo a dream... No, Sydni was not concentrating. She wasn't offended, either. Just surprised.
As Mikhail explained, Sydni covered her mouth with her hand. Had she... dreamed his past? Even as she thought it, she felt an intense sense of deja vu remembering the dream. Like she'd been there. The Wiccan did believe in reincarnation, but she'd never remembered any of her past lives before, and wouldn't Selina still be alive? Maybe. Very old, but alive. Certainly she'd have been alive when Sydni was born. Wouldn't she? Softly, she murmured, more a statement than a question, <i>"Her name was Selina."</i> Sydni did not speak Russian, but she just had.
---
It wasn't often than Mikhail looked like a complete and total idiot. He made it a point not to, in fact. Yet as he went to lean his hand on the desk he missed completely as she spoke out in Russian. Should he have expected the language to come out of Sydni's mouth, he would not have made such a fumble. Though he caught himself quickly and stood straight, his eyes were locked on her. Never had he heard such beauty. Not one of the glamorous singers of Russia could say something so simple and make it be so magical.
<i>"You don't know Russian,"</i> said Mikhail in his native tongue as he looked across the office at Sydni. <i>"But you did, just now. I don't understand."</i> He spoke to himself because he wasn't sure what to say to Sydni or how to say it. The man was captivated and his eyes the color of thunderheads could only gaze down at the brunette with a certain amount of longing he didn't realize was there.
"When learn speak Russian?" he asked cautiously.
---
The look in Mikhail's eyes practically took her breath away. Her dream... He remembered that woman, and that was how he felt for her. But he was looking at her like that and it made her thoughts go all scrambled. And for a moment, she didn't realize he was speaking in Russian. But then she recognized that his words were gibberish to her, and she assumed he was speaking to himself.
His question caught her off guard and she started, then tilted her head in confusion. "I... don't? I never learned Russian," she explained. Why would he say that?
---
Bizarre. Putting a hand on the side of his face to see if he might have been sick, he shook his head and walked over to Sydni. For a long time he only looked down on her before kneeling to be just above eye level with the pretty lady. She didn't know Russian, he knew that, yet for some reason she could speak it.
"You say 'her name was Selina.'" With a tilt of his head, Mikhail sighed softly. "I remember. This gift from woman named Selina." Putting a hand over his throat where the charm hung, his eyes searched for answers within the eyes before him. What did she know? How did this even happen?
---
His steady gaze thrilled and frightened Sydni. It was thrilling to have his attention like that, to have him look at her like that. But it was a bit unnerving, especially for such a shy woman, to be studied so closely.
"I did. I... dreamt it. About you and her." Here the brunette paused, and then with a deep breath, she confessed. "I was her." She was fairly certain she sounded crazy right now. Even with her unshakable faith, she was a skeptic. A lot of people seemed like they were fruits when they talked about the supernatural. Even if she only experienced one of his memories, and not a past life memory, she would sound like a nut.
---
For what it was worth, Mikhail didn't believe she sounded crazy. He thought it was a very strange thought, but considering what they were and the school they lived within, he didn't find it so outside the realm of possible. Also being aware of her Wiccan relations--not that he knew much about it--it was feasable. Maybe. Sighing heavily, Mikhail put his other knee on the ground and knelt tall in front of Sydni.
Reaching out, careful of course, he took her hair and pushed it back. His hands were gentle for being so big and wounded. With a twist he held back her brown hair and leaned back as far as his arm could allow him. "Have seen weird shit in life," he said. Considering Mikhail tended not to swear, this was a seriously big thing. "But. . .this weird."
Letting go of her hair, the lycan got up and looked out of the window. He needed some vodka for this.
---
The brunette froze when the man in front of her reached out to change her hairstyle, and then she held her breath - she didn't mean to, but the situation made tingles run up and down her arms, and where his skin brushed hers. She held very still for him. His words, though, stung. She didn't understand and she thought he was disturbed by her, and she looked away. When he moved away, she secretly wiped away a tear - why on earth was she crying - and let him ponder for a moment.
After that moment, she offered softly. "I-I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said anything. Maybe we should cancel our session today..." She wanted to go, to not upset him anymore.
---
"No." Mikhail shook his head at her and gave a small smile. "Not be sorry. Do no wrong." He continued to gaze out the window once more before taking a deep breath and looking down on Sydni. There was no way he was upset! If anything, he was happy. Selina was a memory he had long since supressed. Remembering those years was something he avoided like a disease or silver. Yet she was one of the bright lights that had been lost, unfortunately, in the darkness.
Reaching behind his neck he removed the necklace, unclasping it slowly before putting it back together. Holding it out to Sydni, he couldn't stop smiling. His scar looked deformed upon his face, especially with the way the sun shone through the window, but it didn't really matter.
"Not understand," he said. "But this belong to you. Probably."
---
She certainly felt like she had done wrong. Until she saw the look on his face, the obvious joy he felt. Taking she small trinket, she held it gingerly, like an injured bird or a single snowflake. "A loan..." she murmured. She remembered, and then she gasped as she was suddenly struck with a number of memories at once.
Writing Mikhail on a weekly basis, whether or not she received return letters (they had to make it to a ship after all). Volunteering to go teach children, refugees of the war - for Mikhail. She might see him, though it would be unlikely as she wouldn't be on a ship. But it was more likely than if she was not on the warfront. And it was her way of fighting alongside him. The bullet that tore through her heart and not her student's when the fighting got too close.
The pain was so real that Sydni grabbed at her chest with a cry and fell to the ground. She was fine, but shaken. She began to cry as she realized the total hopelessness of the woman's death. It was all so sad and so unfair.
---
Those letters had meant the world to him, though he told himself he couldn't write back. He read them whenever they came and had kept each one until the end of the war. When time continued to stroll on and leave everyone behind, he felt like a cheater. A husband having an affair with his wife fully knowing and accepting the fact that he would not be coming home. Somehow, by taking that trinket of Selina's, he had left a piece of his heart behind with her. Mikhail felt burned at the fact that he left her behind.
Yet here she was. More or less.
<i>"For what it's worth, I'm sorry."</i> Since he had left her that night he had wanted to apologize. Somehow that woman made him feel like he could have talked to her for hours, despite his little desire to speak while in her apartment. As a young man he spoke far more than he did today, that was for sure.
"Sydni," said Mikhail as he looked down at her. "I am glad, that you, are here." Sometimes his English was horrid, but when he spoke slowly and broke it up, it was near perfect. Aside from the thick accent that washed over his words, of course.
---
Sydni heard the words in Russian, but didn't understand them. But somehow she knew. She calmed her tears and answered, "It's ok, Mikhail. I don't think she ever felt upset about it." She didn't seem angry, just sad.
At his words, the young woman couldn't contain herself. She didn't pounce on him, but slowly stood and wrapped her arms around him. She had thought often in the past few months that the world would be better off without her existence. For someone to say those specific words to her, well, it meant the world. She hugged him gently. "Thank you," she whispered.
---
Oh, she just had to hug him, didn't she? Mikhail wrapped his arms around her gently and comfortingly, his face lost in her beautiful hair. It smelled good, though he tried not to pay attention. His will power against himself was not that strong. He was glad to hear that Selina wasn't upset, most likely, and he felt a little choked up. This was not where he had expected this lesson to go.
"Welcome," whispered Mikhail. A hand passed over her hair before he kissed the back of her neck. She was short, he was tall, it was easy to kiss the top of her spine from this angle. The older man did so without even thinking about what would happen after. It didn't matter. He couldn't help himself. There was this growing desire inside his chest, a need to be close to Sydni. It was not ignorable. So he kissed her until she pulled away or told him to stop. If she said or did nothing, he would not cease.
---
The soft whisper told Sydni that he was as touched by what had happened as she was. Selina had meant something to him, and it saddened Sydni to think that their time had been cut short. At some point, she would wonder if she was the second chance, Selina's spirit inside of her.
But not right then, not when Mikhail kissed the top of her spine like that. She gasped and shivered as goosebumps rose on her arms, and with a sigh, she tilted her head forward for him. The sensible side of her mind was flashing red lights, saying this was inappropriate. But the feeling part of her mind made her fingers clutch at his shirt and hold him close.
---
Mikhail was seeing red lights, too, but he ignored them. The signs that read "bridge ends" or "cliff ahead" were ignored as well as he kept on kissing her. His right hand came up and thread through her hair, fisting it, pulling the strands out of the way. Part of the man felt like he could just bite into her skin and tear it off--he wanted her that badly. His desire was a wild one that he was sure had little chance of being controlled. Mikhail certainly was not going to say no if she wasn't. His most reliable rule had yet to fail him, after all. No meant no. Until then everything else meant yes.
Reaching out with his left hand, he found the window and nudged Sydni against it with his chest. Hunkering down, he kissed the right side of her neck toward the front, by the collar, his lips pressing to her flesh, tongue tasting her with each pass. In his chest his heart was beating, muscles all over his body began to tense. This feeling was nothing new, not after you lived for 85 long years. His one problem was just that, however. He was old. He was an old man, who looked relatively young, that sectioned himself off from the world. Whores only got you so far. Now there was Sydni. Mikhail wasn't about to use her for sex, gosh no, but he wanted to.
---
Sydni's desires were very wild and unpredictable under her calm, even exterior. She was ruled by passions, but acting in such a manner would draw attention to herself, so she kept it hidden. His strong actions, demanding, but not overly forceful, made her heart race and the soft kisses made her gasp as each one felt like it burned into her skin. The cold window made her shiver, and already her shirt was getting damp. The heat from her body was causing plenty of condensation.
Like a lightning bolt, the lycan realized she wanted him. Badly. Very, very badly. She wanted to be lost in his arms, in his embrace. "Mikhail..." she breathed. His name was partly a prayer, a petition to give her what she wanted. But part of her knew this was not the best decision, and in that respect, his name was partly a plea, for them both to realize that now was not necessarily the best time or place.
---
Knowing that voice, the call, the way it sounded like it was on the fence, Mikhail stopped kissing the crook of her neck. His eyes remained closed as he stood there, pressed against Sydni, before taking a breath and breathing out one question. "Yes, or no?" This was not a decision he wanted to make on his own, though he supposed he should have just stopped all together. Assume her whisper was a no and be done with it. Already too many lines had been crossed.
But boy did he want to keep crossing those lines. He wanted to keep walking through the fire, knowing full well he may just come out charred, if it meant he could have what he wanted. If he could just. . .
Whatever Sydni said didn't matter anymore. Mikhail truned his head away and let go of her gently. His hands fixed her shirt and set right her hair before he went back to his desk for a drink of whatever coffee was left in his mug. For the time being he could be grounded by it, pulled back to Earth by the bitter taste that was the black caffeine in the ceramic container.
---
Sydni was not really thinking about stopping at all. She wanted him too much. But his question brought her slamming back to reality and she took a deep breath, and gripped his arms tightly. She needed to think. But Mikhail made the decision for her and gently fixed her clothing and her hair.
When he returned to his seat, she stood for a moment where she was, calming her breathing as her blue eyes flashed deep and dark with the passion she was trying to quell. Moving over to him, she let her hand trail gently across his shoulders and neck, and leaned down and kissed him softly on the cheek.
Very tentatively, uncertain of exactly what was going on - did he want her, or the woman who was Selina - she said softly, "We should take this slowly. If-if this is something you want." Her heart was racing. What if it had just been the passion and the moment had flown past?
---
Leaning back in his chair, Mikhail looked up at Sydni with a questioning and somewhat playful look. If it was something he wanted? Was he to assume her statement should be taken as an okay, that she wanted it and that was the only way she could say so? He thought about it before reaching up for her hand and holding it in his, fingers turning her hand over one way or back the other. If this was something he wanted?
Sydni was not Selina. Not really. But he wasn't in love with Selina, was he? His feelings for that woman left behind were entirely different and separate from those that he felt for Sydni. Mikhail had never been a deep thinker, so he more than likely would not delve deep into this problem. He enjoyed Sydni's company--Selina was a woman he met once, danced with once. That was the catch. It had only been once. Sydni was here, now, and he had spent far more time with her.
"Is willing be seen with old man?" he joked. He could have been her grandfather by now. Was that really okay?
---
It was the only way she could say it. She was much too timid to ever open herself up that much - it was too much exposure, too great a chance of being wounded. She watched as he examined her hand, a smile creeping to her lips in spite of herself. He was so gentle with her. His large powerful hands, warrior's hands, but gentle.
His joke made her laugh out loud, the anxiousness released in that action. "Yes." She couldn't think of him as old. He didn't look old or act old. Besides, she had always been a firm believer in age not mattering. Well, so long as it wasn't illegal. Two consenting adults, so long as it wasn't a scam or manipulation, then age didn't matter.
She touched his cheek gently and leaned down for a soft kiss as she was still standing. It didn't seem as if they would be doing any meditating today. Right now she wanted to go outside and just move. She was happy. It seemed like her emotions had been on a serious roller coaster lately, and this was the top of a hill, the excitement building.
---
There would definitely not be any meditation today. Mikhail kissed her back just as softly before passing a hand over his left cheek and sighing. And to think he had thought today was boring. Looking up at Sydni he gave a smirk, eventually climbing to his feet to look down on her instead. So, was this it? He couldn't say he'd ever been part of a standing relationship before. Did they tell people, or was it just something that was going to come up spur-of-the-moment?
"What want do?" he asked of her politely. If she wanted to meditate, she could. And if she wanted to go outside, she could do that, too. Mikhail didn't care one way or another because his moods had turned good all around.
---
Sydni would definitely tell people. Usually she kept herself at a nice, calm emotional state, but something like this supercharged her. She had to tell Frankie, and probably Charlie. Maybe Davia too. This was something to be happy about!
"Um, do you want to go for a walk? It's beautiful outside." Well, aside from the cold. It looked pretty outside, but it was deceiving. The California girl still had not learned, and she didn't have her jacket or anything with her. Not that they couldn't stop by her room and get it. Taking his hand, she looked up at him and smiled, a true, genuine smile.
Before they went anywhere, the brunette remembered the small charm and went to where she had fallen before and picked it up. Removing it from the golden chain, she slipped it onto her white gold chain, next to her pentacle. St. Michael was special to her because he was the protector of soldiers and law enforcement. Her father wore a St. Michael's charm, right next to the amulet of protection she had given to him.
---
On the one hand, Mikhail wasn't sure he had anyone to tell in the first place. He couldn't just call up a family member, and he doubted it was something he'd personally bring up over lunch break. He was sure if a friend said something in conversation about dating he might make mention of it. But Mikhail was not going to just out and tell people. He didn't have the friends to tell.
"Would freeze out there," he mused in that deep voice of his while looking at her bare arms. No jacket, either? She could borrow his if she wanted, but he knew it wasn't nearly as nice outside as it looked. Tilting his head, Mikhail got to his feet and grabbed his leather coat from the hanger.
"If go out, get jacket first." One didn't live in one of the coldest places in Europe without knowing to go outside prepared. He only could smile at Sydni, though, because he was happy and found her lack of thought toward the weather a little bit silly. She'd learn in time.
---
Looking outside, she tilted her head, a bit surprised at his words, but then she remembered the weather forecast for the day. Yes, she would. "It's in my apartment. We can go by there before going outside." When he seemed to assent, she smiled back at him, taking his hand as they left his office. Despite her personal bubble issues, and her general shyness, she was a very affectionate person when she was in a relationship. She wasn't liable to make out with him in a hallway, but hand holding and chaste kisses would be offered freely.
Molly, of course, wanted to go with them for a walk, and whined and cried when they first stopped by. But she knew Sydni wouldn't let her out until she stopped, so she soon quieted and then she pranced around Mikhail for attention, never jumping as the brunette pre-empted that with a stern warning. "Would you mind if she came along? I'm sure she needs to go out anyway..." Sydni asked as she collected enough outerwear to weather a blizzard, not a new England fall day. Hat, gloves, scarf, mittens, jacket, and even shoes were changed for boots.
---
Hand holding was a nice change from keeping his hands in his pockets. Now, instead of both being in the silk-lined pocket of his leather jacket, he had one in and one out. His large hand and fingers wrapped gently around Sydni's smaller hand. She was a very comfortable person to be with, he noticed. Though Mikhail couldn't say he had ever held hands for more than a few minutes. It was a new thing, being partially attached to someone. Not so terrible.
In her apartment, the man watched the dog yap before she closed her mouth and wandered in circles. Cute. Mikhail knelt to pet her along the spine gently, patting her head before standing again. "No, is fin-what doing?" His brows furrowed slightly before the right opted to raise up in question. "Is not Siberia." The man couldn't help but laugh and shake his head. "Not think need all. . .that. . ."
---
Cuddling, snuggling, <i>private</i> makeout sessions... Mikhail could look forward to a lot of attention from Sydni. When she was with someone, she was very open, quite opposite her usual persona. It was because she could only be with someone she trusted and felt comfortable with. Her hand did fit into his nicely, and she occasionally rubbed his hand with her thumb, a gentle caress.
Sydni paused halfway through putting on her scarf, mittens in her mouth, jacket half on. She was inexperienced at dressing for winter. At first she tried to mumble an answer, but then she reached up and pulled the mittens from her mouth. His laughter made her shy and she blushed and smiled as she answered, "It's cold out... I'm from California." Then she stood a bit helplessly, uncertain if she should continue dressing or not.
---
Like a lost kitten. Mikhail shook his head again and walked forward to greet her. Taking the mittens away and shoving the pair under his arm, he zipped up the front of her jacket and stole away her hat. The scarf would be fine, he figured. Even for a girl who was cold. This was hardly the kind of weather that required bundling up like that. Maybe in a few weeks. So, putting the hat and mittens down on the nearest table, he gave a nod.
"Is warm at California," he muttered while standing back. "Well. Is not <i>that</i> cold here. You be fine." With another nod, he turned to go out the door, pausing at it and waiting for her to catch up so he could hold said door open. "Walk round courtyard?" he asked. It really didn't matter where they went, so long as they were together.
---
The lycan's blush deepened as Mikhail helped her dress. "I can dress myself," she protested, in vain. Once settled, she grabbed Molly's leash and attached it to her collar. Pausing for a second, she snatched up the hat and shoved it in a pocket. Maybe Mikhail didn't think it was that cold, but he wasn't used to gorgeous weather year round. "Yes," she assented. "Thank you," she murmured when he held the door for her. And then she slipped her gloved hand into his as they made their to the courtyard.