Gun Cleaning

[abyssum_invocat]

Saturday afternoon found Sinthia outside on her balcony, disassembling and cleaning her pistol in the sunlight. For once she had her hair tied up and pulled back from her face, barefoot in jeans and a borrowed shirt with a brush held delicately in her fingers. She was still wondering how much she should tell Solo about what her connection to the Russian mafia was, given it had spurred her meeting Illya, but it was a difficult decision for someone who hadn't usually let people come that close ever, much less so quickly.

She rubbed the back of her neck idly blowing out a sigh as she considered. She really needed to be drinking if this line of thought was going to continue for much longer.

Comments

[red_peril]

Illya saw her rubbing her neck when he came out on the balcony. He walked up behind her, knowing that she would hear him, he put his hands on her shoulders and moved his hands up to massage her neck gently. "What has you so tense?" Illya asked.

[abyssum_invocat]

She sighed a short breath, hand still covering her tattoo as she set the brush down. "I want to talk to Solo about this," she said. "The tattoo, what it means. I don't want him to be surprised by it later, I just...I wasn't expecting to have to." Or not that soon, anyway, and though she knew Illya would say she didn't have to explain anything, she really felt she did. Sinthia didn't much care for people having to wonder.

"I just don't know what to say so he won't think I'm terrible and leave."

[red_peril]

"Sinthia, he won't think you are terrible and leave," he kissed her neck. "I don't. And he didn't run when I told him what the tattoos mean. Solo is fascinated by them. By us." The nurse certainly thought they were exciting and exotic.

[abyssum_invocat]

"There's some amount of charm to a thief, Illya, and not much for a contract assassin." It was simply a fact of life, the social implications of their professions. "I'm not sure how to explain what being crowned means to him. I wasn't very sure how to do it for you, and you already knew."

[red_peril]

"You know I was never just thief," Illya sat down at the table beside her. Her lover was a killer as much as she was. "Not in American sense of the word." Bodyguard, enforcer, assassin. He did whatever Ivan paid him to do to keep his cover.

[abyssum_invocat]

"I know," she said, fitting the barrel back into the slide after a moment of letting her shoulders relax. "I feel nervous around him like I did around you the first time," Sinthia murmurs. "I want him to stay with us."

[red_peril]

"I do too," Illya told her, reaching over to take her hand. "I am glad you like him."

[abyssum_invocat]

She threaded her fingers through his, clasping his hand as she set the pistol aside for a moment. Illya wasn't going to let her complete reassembling it right then and she didn't care enough to pull away and do it. "I do. I wasn't expecting to, not really, but I do."

The brunette was at the other end of her balcony with Avi, trying to get him to roll over for a treat, without very much success. "You could tell him. If you wanted to."

[red_peril]

"You do not wish to tell him yourself? It is your truth to tell," Illya said. "Solo has already seen you cleaning your gun." He looked over at their guest and kissed her hand. "Unfortunately, Avi can be stubborn."

[abyssum_invocat]

"A gun doesn't mean deadly force," Sinthia said quietly, but without much conviction to it. "I can't tell him the whole truth. You can, or I can tell him where to read it, I just can't say it over again." She almost couldn't tell Illya, had felt the uncomfortable feeling of impending dissociation creeping up on her as she'd tried to the last time.

[red_peril]

Illya suspected that she had not told him everything, but she had told him much of herself. "I will talk to him and let Solo know that we wish him to stay with us if he would."

[abyssum_invocat]

Sinthia hadn't told him everything; she hadn't told anyone everything, not a single soul. Illya had come the closest of everyone she'd ever known, had ever talked to, but Sinthia hadn't disclosed everything for a very good reason. Fear of him leaving if she did.

"Okay," she said softly, squeezing his hand. "I'm sorry, Illya."

[red_peril]

"Don't be sorry," he loved her and would do anything for her. He kissed her hand and then let her go. He turned to their friend, "Solo, let's take Avi for a run in the park."

"Sure," Solo said rising.

Illya got Avi's leash and a toy to throw for the dog to chase. "Come on, Avi." He hooked the dog to his leash and the three of them went out, leaving Sinthia to finish reassembling her gun.

[abyssum_invocat]

"I'll meet you later," she said, looking up at the two men with a soft smile, running her hand through Avi's fur and catching Solo's hand as they passed by her. The pistol was almost done, but she had another to do still; by herself it wouldn't take as long, and she'd be joining them before an hour was out. The repetition and the simple mechanics of concentration cleared her mind, though.

It took her a few moments to get downstairs once she was ready, having pulled on shoes and a loose top. She whistled for her dog, and intercepted him just before Illya and Solo came to where she was in the shade of a leafy, low-branched tree. "Hi," she murmured, tilting her head up for a kiss in passing to Solo, resting her arms around his waist.

[itwontmatch]

Solo was playing with Avi, trying to get the dog to roll over without much success. "Come on, Avi, work with me here. Lie down." He got the dog to lay down, "Okay, roll over." As soon as the treat was in nose distance, the dog would jump up. He sighed in exasperation.

Then Illya suggested taking the dog to the park and treats didn't matter. As soon as the leash was in the Russian's hands the dog was jumping excitedly. So much for trying to teach him to roll over. "We'll work on this later."

This was nice, going out to the park with the dog and a can of tennis balls. He and Illya walking side by side, fine sunny morning. They headed for the sheep meadow and let the dog off the leash. Illya handed him a tennis ball and threw it for him. Avi was off after it like a shot. "Damn fast dog."

"He is. Listen, Napoleon, Sinthia wanted me to talk to you about something. I figured now would be good time," Illya said. Avi brought the ball back and set it in Solo's hand.

"Okay, I'm listening," Solo said tossing the ball for the dog. Illya then told Solo about their involvement with the Vor v Zakone. And what exactly that meant. It took quite a while. "Illya, are you trying to scare me off?" he asked only half-seriously.

"No. Not at all. Sinthia is afraid that if you know what she does for a living besides appraising antiques, that you will leave and not continue with us. We both like you very much," Solo threw the ball for Avi a couple more times, thinking about what Illya was telling him. "I think it is legitimate concern."

[abyssum_invocat]

Sinthia took her time joining them, feeling anxious over what Illya would be telling Solo and wondering if she'd be joining one man or two once she found them. The Great Park was no mean feat to navigate the whole of by oneself, but the sheep meadow was a good bet for off-leash running, it being where she usually ended up. She'd been delayed by a phone call--from a man few people liked to hear from, but the fact that Konstantin had his son call her instead of his consigliere was generally a good sign, at least in her business. She'd still have to discuss it with Illya before anything happened.

She saw them from a distance off, and straightened her shoulders, taking and expelling a deep breath. She'd never felt so nervous confessing to her job before, and didn't know why this was so very different. But it was.

"I'm here," she said quietly, once they were in comfortable earshot.

[red_peril]

"Hello, darling," Illya said, rising to meet her with a kiss. Avi bounced over to greet her with the delivery of a wet tennis ball. Both men were there. Solo rose from the bench and kissed her too. Illya put an arm around her waist.

[abyssum_invocat]

"Did he tell you?" she asked, breaking from the kisses for a moment to search Illya and Solo's faces, and to reach for Avi's head with faintly shaking fingertips.

[itwontmatch]

"He did," Solo said, putting his hands in his pockets. "I don't know what to think of it. I'm in no position to judge what you do." he admitted. "I can see why you'd be afraid to tell people the truth." They started to walk a bit. "I think I told you I had a certain fondness for jewelry..."

[abyssum_invocat]

"You did," she said, nodding once, relieved to hear him not concerned, but feeling that notion lessen when he said he didn't know what to think of it. "I don't do it because I like it. But I'm good at it, and I've done it for a long time. Did Illya tell you how old I am?" It was a seemingly non-sequiturial question, but did have a point.

"I thought you only meant you liked jewelry. Was that not right?"

[itwontmatch]

He glanced around, there was no one else nearby, "Um... Yes. That's right. I really really like jewelry. But what I didn't tell you was how I paid for nursing school. I went to school during the day and at night I was a jewel thief." He paused a moment to let that sink in.

"He did, I wasn't sure I believed it at first. You're very well preserved," Solo said with a chuckle. "But if that Captain America guy is that old, why not you?"

[abyssum_invocat]

"A jewel thief," she repeated, blinking as if absorbing the information. It wasn't that much of a stretch; he was charming enough to be able to pull off a good many of the slippery moves theft required, and athletic enough for most else.

"Oh," Sinthia murmured, but it was far from disappointed. It lifted the anxiety from her about telling him she'd been involved in anything illegal, and while she still wouldn't be telling him everything all at once, it made contemplating telling him little things easier. "Should I be worried about anything I bring home from work?" she asked, trying to make it a teasing joke.

[itwontmatch]

"No. Not anymore. I make plenty of money doing PT Nursing. Though if you do bring something good home from work, I'd love to see it," he waggled his eyebrows at her.

"Mostly," Avi brought him the ball this time and he tossed it in the air a couple of times. Then the ball seemed to disappear. "It's just a hobby now." The dog whined looking perplexed. "Avi, where did that ball go?" He teased, turning around and looking. As soon as the dog was distracted, the tennis ball reappeared, rolling down a gentle slope. "Avi, look! There it goes!" The dog raced after it and returned. "I like to keep up my skills, but I rarely use them like I used to. A little slight of hand, some misdirection."

[abyssum_invocat]

Sinthia watched him with the tennis ball, eyes sharp and following his hands save for glancing up at his face, and to her credit she almost caught the pass when he made it.

"You're good," she said, seeming to slide into analysis and something like professionalism (if it could be called that) very easily, distracted only a little by the dog returning. "You're very good, Solo." She couldn't imagine giving up something that she was that talented at--hence why she hadn't, though most people couldn't tolerate the idea of being a talented killer.

[itwontmatch]

"Thanks. I'm also available for children's parties," he joked. Being that good took lots of practice. Which he got by entertaining his friends with slight of hand tricks. Thievery wasn't his only talent, though. Solo was very good as a PT nurse and he genuinely liked helping people feel better.

"I have to admit," Solo said as they walked, "I'm fascinated by the Russian mafia. The concept of a 'thief in law.' We call them mafia for instance, but the structure really is nothing like the American mafia."