While chess was what Svetlana was most familiar with and able to read without even blinking, her time with Helena had taught Svetlana much of the Victorian woman and the different things she used to express herself when words didn't work, or couldn't be voiced. And while circuit boards and science were far from Svetlana's world in terms of things she understood, she still could at least tell what things meant based on the size and edges. And the jagged edges of the smaller piece was very telling.
The pain of feeling things was not unknown to Svetlana. It was why Erik had tried to shield her from opening up and trusting. Because he thought it would protect her instead of make her numb to the point where she didn't know how to feel something, even when she wanted. At least until Anatoly had entered her life. And she knew that Helena had that same issue. That she hid from the pain, because it seemed safer. But she was at least expressing herself in a way and that was important. It was part of why Svetlana had shown up. Because she was determined to keep Helena from shutting down. Because Myka wouldn't want it. Because she had friends here. Because Emily needed her mother and not a shell, someone who kept everyone at arms length to protect herself.
It was dangerous, this place. The fact that people came and go with no warning at all. A fear that was always just beneath the surface for so many. How many had come and gone in the year plus that the Sergievskys alone had been there? How many people got drunk because of people leaving? Cursed the Seal for bringing people to and from and always thinking it personal? The desire to protect oneself from that pain was tempting, but also it seemed to make people more open, as if knowing.
"I could not say...."
And she couldn't. Svetlana had never seen the show out of respect for Helena, as well as tending to not find any interest in current television and movies. From what Svetlana knew of both the Warehouse and Myka, she wouldn't be surprised if Myka had smelled apples, but it wasn't something she could say for certain one way or the other.