[gilga]

Seeing that he got no reply for his Vodka comment Marco added " Are Bratva's always this stoical? I pictured this place as one of Vices... Was it always like this?"

[Mercy Merchant]

Yelena laughs.  "No.  Sometimes is much drinking and sex.  But not so much before important mission.  But after.............yes.  Much drinking and maybe sex.  Now is planning time.  Nicolai bring us in for planning when ready.  Sleep and rest now is good.  Only one bed each room but large enough for two.  Stay ready and rest as much as possible."

She stands then looks around at the others.  "Yelena thank all for coming Poland.  Much help for Yelena.  Important we work together.  Get past pain and hurt to be team.  Past is past.  Hurt may come up again, but after mission."

[gilga]

"When do we leave ?" Asks Marco, wondering if the doubts about Nikolai should be shared.

[Mercy Merchant]

Yelena walks over to Jed.  "Yelena special thank to PI man.  All not need come but did, but Jedediah barely know Yelena.  But come anyway.  You are good man."  She takes one of his hands in hers and raises it t her lips, the very faint scent of jasmine reaching his nose.  She drops his hand and goes to the door.  "Yelena go room.  Someone welcome sleep with Yelena so ready go when Nicolai calls."

[gilga]

"I'll sleep on the floor - I got used to it, I lived very modestly most of my life." Said Blackbird, and crushed in one of the corners of the room with a blanket.  He thought to the rest  "I did not bring equipment with me, I could appreciate an automatic gun for self defense". .

Looking at Yelena and Jed he thinks to himself "perhaps it makes more sense that way, it is easy to forget but they are of similar age" Still, he feels heartbroken - but some things are difficult to fix.

[Qwikfix]

Arc cracked a little smile at Yelena's show of appreciation, but didn't think of anything to add to it.  When things went public, she hopped up off the bed, stretching her back with a slight pop as she shrugged.  "Aye, we could all pile up in here or shomethin', or I can hang wit' Jed, y'all'sh call.  I don't take up much shpace, heh.."  Sighing, she glanced over at Marco and his thoughts, nodding her head.

"Gotchu fam.  I'll getcha my SMG as we're rolling out.  Think I've got five clips for that thing." 

[Mercy Merchant]

Yelena nods at the others and leaves the room, headed for hers, where she lays down on the bed and controls her breathing in an attempt to stop the whirling emotions that threaten to fill her mind with unnecessary clutter just when she needs to be calm and ready.  **Frag the man for coming back.  Lies, lies, and more lies from him.  Nothing but lies and excuses.........feeble attempts at justifying his actions.  I have to get Marco gone and Blackbird in.  Different man.  Different.**  She finally manages to settle her mind and drift off to sleep.

[SmilinIrish]

Before the mind link dropped, Jed had one last question.
does everyone have a tranceiver?  This would let us talk without Nicholai.  Or, if I'm separate from the group, if one of you have one we could stay in touch.
Milaya, I just want to make sure you come home alive. Maybe I'm trying to succeed where I failed earlier in my life, but I'm here for you.

[Qwikfix]

"I can cover that too.  Got a small set, think I can outfit everyone with those.  If I jump in I can wire mine into my jack too.  Null sweat"

Arc flashed a smile as she casually brought her cyberarm up to the back of her head, tapping subtly where her transceiver was already in place.  Letting Yelena do her thing, Arc bit her lip and gave a nod.... Rough time...will have to deal with this all eventually, but it's gonna be rough....

[gilga]

Marco thanks Arc and falls a sleep almost instantly. His dreams are lucid and the content is Marco falling from a tall building desperately trying to save himself but cannot cast a single spell.

Blackbird is unsure whether it is the loss of magic that scares him so much or the fact he is going to crush on the ground. Perhaps it is the combination of both - and regardless of the reason he awakens fully alert and pale after a short scream. Calming his own breath, he tries to relax and hopes he did not wake anyone.  He rolls over and struggles to go back to sleep.

"Go to the big tree Blackbird, you are safe there" He mumbles.

[Mercy Merchant]

Yelena is up and back in the other room, large pistol drawn, almost before the scream ends.  "What is trouble?"

[gilga]

Marco whispered "Shhh... just leave me alone." If anything he wanted to disappear at that moment. The last thing he needed was to hear at that moment of horror was Yelena's version again. The version that makes him nothing, nothing at all. That claim that had she known the details she would have come up with a better way to pull it off. That all his pain and all his self inflicted sufferings were for nothing.  To himself, Blackbird repeated the same mantra in his mind "I am at the big tree, I am safe there, Marco cannot hurt me again."

[Mercy Merchant]

Yelena stops and puts the pistol away.  "Yelena alarmed at noise.  Blackbird get rest.  Yelena go back to room."  Matching her words, Yelena returns to her room and the bed there, once again settling her mind and going to sleep.

[SmilinIrish]

Jed was suddenly awake and he didn't know why.  He heard Yelena call out something through the door.  He heard Blackbird nearby "Shhh... just leave me alone."   He could hear Blackbird turn over.  But his breathing was wrong.  He didn't go back to sleep.  Whatever it was, it was over now.  If he was going to keep up with these young ones, he needed his sleep.  As the thought entered his mind, Jed was already asleep.

[ismilealot]

The walls between rooms were by no means soundproof in the underground bunker Nicolai had taken them to. And at 03:17 an ear-splitting scream split the air. It was coming from somewhere near where they'd been brought in. Nicolai was working. In a small circle of light a young man and woman were trussed up. Yelena had seen Nicolai work many times. The Ghost was the finest torturer the bratva had ever seen. He'd taught Yelena that torture begins in the mind, and that the mind must be broken. And one of his quirks was that he rarely allowed his subjects to scream, or even speak, and there were few if any visible marks. She'd never really understood his art, but, his results were undeniable. Information from one of his subjects was always relatively quickly obtained and extremely reliable. His reputation had been legendry and was often gone from the bratva on business. He'd been gone for over a month when Tsina had executed her betrayal.