Entry tags:

!complete, !partner thread, nikolai luzhin, svetlana sergievskaya

Who: Nikolai Luzhin vor & Svetlana Sergievskaya thegirlisme
What: Checking In
When: Today
Where: Whole Foods, Produce Section
Rating: Audience Discretion is Advised
Warnings: Organized crime affiliations, mentions, potentially discussions. Nikolai isn't a very nice man.
Status: Closed/Completed Parther Thread

~*~

Enemies were rare among the kind of men Nikolai Luzhin considered his own. They tended to eliminate all threats as soon as they arose. It was a sign of weakness to show empathy or pity to another. Real Vor took care of their business as expected. They didn't leave loose ends. He was not known for leaving loose ends of any kind anywhere in all the world. There was no reason for him to grant mercy to anyone. History, however, was not the same as the present which changed circumstances greatly.

Stahma Molotov had no love for the family to whom Svetlana Krylova belonged.

History had pitted the women on opposing sides of a board. They were playing a long game with one another in which each move mattered, a chess match between masters of a game far more deadly than chess. Nikolai knew all the history yet involved himself not at all in the present as it was none of his business how Stahma chose to deal with the woman. This was her enemy. This was her game. His interference would only serve to undermine her authority to her men and to throw into question her ability to take care of her own business.

It was nothing more than a passing amusement to see the woman in the Whole Foods while shopping.

Tossing an apple into the air, Nikolai caught it handily, his groceries were being carried in a nondescript reusable tote. He smiled without showing any mirth as he looked the woman over. She didn't seem so much the worse for wear. In other circumstances, he'd have found her beautiful. Their paths weren't meant to cross in such a way however which meant she was only a woman to him. She could not matter more to him than she did to Stahma; conflicts of interest did not happen among the Vor.

"I am thinking is a good idea to buy only fresh foods. Less chance of the food poisoning, da?"

He said it casually, as if addressing a friend. The smile never slipped from his face because Nikolai believed what he was telling her: it was better to eat only fresh foods. All his foods were self-prepared or came from trusted sources. No exceptions.

~*~

Svetlana didn’t always shop at Whole Foods. It usually was either a matter of convenience or if she needed to put in an order for some conference or meeting that she found herself in one. Sometimes she would find an Eastern European market, when she had the time she found local fruit stands for produce, really it was just a matter of what she needed, the time she had available and any other number of things that needed to be considered. Today it was picking up an order for an afternoon meeting that had been catered. She simply had been early and so found herself in the produce aisle as she waited.

Most of the time, she had to remind herself that paranoia and constant vigilance from the dreams and bleed over were just that, bleed over. She was not living in Soviet Russia, she was not the wife of a chess player who had a KGB officer as a handler, where said handler had an unsettling presence in her own life. No. Those were not the threats she had to worry about. There were other ones, of course. Angering those who trafficked women and children and interfering with their ‘business’. Or the always present Orange County threats which could happen with no warning at all. Or vague warnings where people spoke of prophetic dreams yet never had the answers to prepare, just that something seemed to be coming. Despite these reminders though, despite the knowledge that her own dream related bleed over and hypervigilance was just that, Svetlana always made sure to know her surroundings and to be aware of people in her general area.

That didn’t mean that she was prepared to have someone address her in a friendly manner. Oh, this was Southern California. People could be polite and friendly, or they could be rude and arrogant. That was something that didn’t change on location regardless of what people felt. It was only when she looked to where the voice came from that the blonde woman recognised the man. Not personally, she knew their paths had never directly crossed. But that didn’t mean they hadn’t crossed indirectly. He was someone she had seen around Stahma when she was younger. It had been eleven years since Erik had been convinced to go to Beslan, and Stahma had stopped showing her face, having destroyed two of her brothers. She couldn’t recall if she had ever noticed him when Alexander Molokov made his presence known at any function she was speaking at (the joys of foreign aid for NGO work, now which could have her listed as a foreign agent were she still in Moscow) but she still knew the family which he had worked for.

It was all a millisecond flash in her mind, placing him and she was under little illusion that it was strictly a coincidence. Those didn’t exist. Not for her. It was dangerous to believe in them. But she also didn’t feel under threat at that moment, so instead she simply nodded.

“Yes. It is much safer to avoid poison when you know where your food and produce come from.”

~*~

"I am not so often worried by poison, but some? It is a preference for them. I tell them to be careful. Myself? I know if I were to worry it would be over an unfriendly blade or a very well-aimed gun."

He shrugged in a way which nothing and everything. Nikolai filled a clear bag with three apples of the Braeburn variety before taking another bag for three Fuji apples and a third for three Honeycrisp apples which looked incredibly cheery with their bright yellow and red striping. All of them were tied off as neatly as he'd tie up a bag of fingertips and teeth before being placed into his shopping tote. Nikolai was a very meticulous man in his own manner. It was the habit of a lifetime to do nothing without deliberance.

How old was this young woman now? She seemed ageless in a way to him the same as did Stahma when he found himself captivated by her face. It had never been his place to get involved in the dealings with her family. Nikolai would die before dishonoring anyone, much less Stahma or her father. There were limits to what he would do for the pair of them and murdering children was one of those hard limits. Nikolai did not target those who were the unfortunate accompaniment to their murderous orchestra arrangement.

It was the conductor he wanted for his own---though he sometimes had to settle for mere players.

"You are careful, I am thinking. This is good. I do not care to know your business. I do care to know those who have no reason to be hurt are kept safe."

Stahma was a cunning adversary. She was a shrewd businesswoman. She was also a woman which made her prone to fits of emotions Nikolai did not expect from men. Theirs was an old world run by old men, true, but some of those old customs remained in effect for a reason. Nikolai was not too certain it was for the sake of good business Stahma had targeted this other woman. All he knew was she had never posed a significant threat to his charge or to Kenya whom he now guarded. This allowed him the ability to grant her leeway he would not have offered another who had fallen out of favor with Stahma.

~*~

“Poison is just one thing to worry about.” Poisoned words, poisoned food. Twist them around enough and a person could wield their words as if a mighty weapon. Svetlana herself was more of an ice queen, she kept things to herself, guarded her heart and emotions. Words were a shield. She possessed herself in a way of confidence to deter those who would try to undermine her. “Blades and bullets are often more preferred though it seems.”

Such a strange conversation to have in the produce aisle, but they were not exactly common people. Their respective fields had them consider the darker side of nature. Svetlana didn’t know exactly what it was Nikolai did, but she was far too familiar with Stahma and her father to put much faith in it. Not to mention those two had their own enemies. Svetlana herself dealt with the darker side of nature daily through different means. She saw human cruelty, the way it affected people and the pain that remained long after.

Though then there was talk of her business and his care to keep those safe who had no reason to be hurt. That was a bit more open than she would give someone associated with Stahma or Molokov credit for. Interesting, though she nodded at the statement on her being careful.

“I have to be.” Honestly, she had no real idea on whether or not Stahma was going to come for her next. It wasn’t like she had anything of use for the woman. She had got what she wanted. Erik had been silenced eleven years ago. The first three days of September, which was fast coming up. “I suppose it’s a good thing I don’t seek to harm people and instead focus on helping those unable to help themselves, then.”

It was a strange battle between her and Stahma. So far just words had been spoken. She had done her damage to Dmitri by showing up and while Svetlana was wary and prepared that soon it would be her own turn, she was much more content to try and live her own life. She just would be prepared for if pride or whatever it was that drove Stahma made her turn more attention on her than might make sense. Of course, the whole feud between families had never made sense, just that it had been a constant for over twenty two of the twenty eight years of her life.

She was not a threat, but push her to defend herself or family and then all bets were off.

~*~

Nikolai Luzhin was not a man in the sense other men were considered to be men. His decision to align himself with those he'd chosen had made it impossible for him to be a man any longer. From the moment they had made the first mark on his skin, Nikolai had ceased to be a man and started to become a weapon. He was his own form of death walking. There was no escape from the life he had chosen for himself; no one could escape from his wrath if they fell into disfavor with his brethren.

He was a Prince of Thieves.

Stars marked his elevation among his kind to show he would kneel for no one.

Nikolai Luzhin could not focus on helping those who could not help themselves, but he could offer aid in the event it was needed. He believed some? They chose their fates, as sad as many of those fates turned out to be. They had been given choices and they had chosen badly. It was their own fault how they wound up in the end. Those for whom their choices had been taken away? Theirs were the lives which bothered him more with each passing day. Nikolai had never wanted to be a man who stole the freedom of other men.

"It is the goal of my people, our highest ascension, to become truly free. I am a free man. I choose who I serve. I serve as I choose. My life belongs to myself first and to the brothers I have chosen for myself second and then, only then, does it fall to anyone else."

He danced his fingers over a red delicious apple before shaking his head to the negative.

Bad news, those most oft poisoned of apples.

"Should you find you need help with those who deserve it? The ones who have no choices? The ones whose choices were made for them? I am a man who could become available to you for the helping. I offer this freely of myself, my word as Vor."

The woman was hardly too young to claim ignorance of his affiliation or at least to have no knowledge of the syndicate's reputation as the most hardened of criminals with the most strict of regimes.

~*~

No. Svetlana was not ignorant of what it meant for someone to be Vor. Nor was she completely oblivious to the tattoos which marked his skin, she just made sure not to make assumptions, to jump and run while in a market and cause a scene. Especially when she hadn’t gotten the sense at the back of her neck that she was in danger. Her brothers often claimed she was reckless in a singular way that was all Svetlana. A certain disregard for herself when it came to helping others. She also knew that she could judge a situation and the circumstances. That heightened paranoia from the dreams just seemed to play into it a bit more. A bit more awareness of what was around her.

Still, of all the things she had not expected on this trip to Whole Foods (which okay, this entire conversation could fit into things one does not anticipate), it would be someone offering help should she need it. That he could make himself available to help her. There was the part in the back of her mind which questioned this motive because of whom he was aligned and the history there between families. But she also knew well enough of the Vor to know that being free was their aim, that their decisions were their own and they didn’t necessarily serve anyone even if they were aligned to them.

There were a lot of syndicates in the world of human trafficking. Branches that reached out and found new ground. Underground and the mafia of different nations all played a part. Tattoos were the mark of that world, each with their own meaning, each which could make or break a specific world. There would be a lot to consider before she ever took him up on the offer, if she ever got to that point.

“I will make sure to keep that in mind. Should it ever get to a point where it might become necessary. Thank you.”

Svetlana didn’t quite know what to make of the offer and that was something she disliked, feeling unbalanced in a way. But she also knew that sometimes there were cases where conventional methods did not work. She knew how to survive, she made sure of it. She had to when she made enemies of those who disliked what she did because of the negative impact on their ‘business’, as if trading human beings as nothing more that cattle with no worth, could be considered a business. (It was a business. Extremely lucrative and it made her sick.) But this was still not something she would have ever expected.

~*~

"It is good to be cautious. Always. Me? I am not so much cautious as vigilant. I refuse to worry too much. Gives stomach pains. Never a good sign. You should eat more apples. Very good for the body and the mind. If I believed there was hope for my soul? I would say good for this, too. For you? Maybe. You have the look of someone of good intentions."

Nikolai shook his head with a sound of disapproval. There were no people who were made up of good intentions whose lives were easy. Theirs were the lives made the most difficult for them by both themselves and the world. He had never chosen to offer his services to someone like her who wanted to help -or had he?- but it felt right to do so all the same. There were only a few cards with his personal details on them. This one meant a lot to hand over to an enemy of his trusted friend.

Bone white, paper thick, sturdy as the man whose name was printed on it, Nikolai Luzhin's card proclaimed only his name and a single phone number. No line stated his business or his craft. All which gave a clue to who or what he was to have his own card was the symbol of the Vory V Zakone to whom he belonged. It was unmistakable among those of Eastern origins. The symbol was its own signet ring, a promise, a guarantee. No other decorations were needed for his card seeing as all the explanations he needed further were on his flesh.

A Vor wore the map of his life proudly.

Pain was negligible to them.

"Call this number. Is my number and my number alone. No one sees my phone. No one hears my calls. I am my own man. I will be your man should you need one to help your innocents. Share it with no one. Understand?"

~*~

“It is.” Even before, she had always been cautious. Before Erik died, he had all but instilled it in her as it was more her brothers who raised her. And with him being nine years older than her, it had only made sense that she would take those lessons to heart, especially because of how he had ended up where he was. Seeing Dmitri played in such a way just solidified the guarding of her heart as she’d been old enough to understand then. “More apples. Noted.” Not that she really knew how to respond to his comment on his lack of a soul but anyone who knew Svetlana would probably agree with the assessment that she was the type of person who had good intentions.

Those same people would also acknowledge that Svetlana put a lot of pressure on herself and that her life was far from easy, between her work and trying to help Dmitri. That she put herself at risk more than she should to get the job done and help however possible. It was how she had ended up getting attacked in an alleyway, by being lured out and her need to help despite knowing the risks.

The symbol on the card she was handed seemed to solidify that this conversation was actually taking place. Not that she would forget it, but sometimes things just seemed so improbable that they had to be an illusion. This was not the case and now she had physical proof of it. It was because she knew of the Vor that she could take his word as true in regards to no one knowing if she would call him.

“I understand. No one will hear or see it.” She might be reckless with her own well being depending on the situation, but she wasn’t suicidal or about to go make an enemy of the man. Digging into her purse, Svetlana pulled out her own card and handed it to Nikolai, “In case you come across someone who could use my help.” She didn’t know if he would come across someone trying to escape a trafficker, but he also would probably know the signs better than most.

~*~

Dangerous games, Nikolai thought as he took the card from her hand. It was filed away into an inner, hidden compartment of his wallet. There were plenty who would know to look there for it which was why the number would be committed to memory, the card burned, no trace of it left behind. For now, he would run the risk of exposure as he took it from her without hesitation. Fear was an emotion he vaguely remembered. He felt no worries or concerns for himself. Not anymore. These days all his worries were reserved for others.

"This is good. Sharing contact. People should do it more often, I am thinking. Me? I have contact with few. Only those I choose to contact. Only those I like. You do not like one of my beloveds. She is---complex woman. Is not her fault. Way she was raised. World she come from. People survive or die in this world. My world. Your world is nicer now. Here. People can live not only survive."

He took an apple from his bag to rub against his chest. There was a shine to it which was Nature's work rather than that of Man. It reminded him of Stahma. She was too much the result of Nature some day and others too much the work of Man. Kenya was all the result of Man. Her world was his because Man had unsettled her from what path she might have otherwise walked. Nikolai did not doubt that in any way. He was very prepared to defend either woman if he had to, but, more importantly, he wanted Svetlana to understand some people?

They were what they were because they had no choice to be anything else.

Tossing her the apple, he nodded to her, "Apples. Yes. Good advice. Best I can give. Help? I can do more. I will let you know if I need yours."

Nikolai backed away from her before disappearing into the crowd to pay for his purchases. He thought it was all worth it. It would have to be.

~*~

Years after the Cold War, and the games played continued to be dangerous. It was all she knew in a way. She had mastered that waltz years before, perfected thanks to the dreams. In a chess game, sometimes there were reckless plays and that could be seen in the fact she had given Nikolai her card. That she would consider the offer he had given, his card, seriously. Very dangerous indeed and in Whole Foods of all places. But that was the nature of the game.

“They should.” It wasn’t like Svetlana was much better at the contact thing. She had a select few she considered friends, whom she would actively trust. And then how it wasn’t really Stahma’s fault. That was something she would have to disagree with. While she could appreciate the life she had, who her father was and that world and how she had been raised, most people still had choices. She hadn’t needed to focus on Dmitri to get Erik to leave, Erik wasn’t going to use whatever it was he’d known against her. He had just wanted her out of their lives and now? Now he was dead. There were a lot of things she could have done as she found herself in her own life, especially here. But that was not a conversation to have. “Perhaps. I would rather keep my distance from her and live my own life and let her live her own, though.” It was the best she could do. She didn’t seek Stahma out and that was that.

Of course, then there was Kenya. A woman Svetlana did not actually know. While she was aware of the Need/Want, there had been no indicators or signs that there were trafficked girls there, and so she had no real opinion on the woman. If it was run as a legitimate business and there were protections in place, Svetlana saw no problem with it. She had her opinions on the latest developments with decriminalisation, however that seemed to be an ongoing battle despite the current decision being made.

Catching the apple, Svetlana nodded. “I appreciate it.”

And with that he was gone, and Svetlana noted the time. Well, that had passed the time and she was able to go pick up the lunch for the meeting she had been here for in the first place, as well as pay for the apple. Strange day after a strange week. Only in Orange County she supposed.