Unexpected Consequences (Peregrine & Kaisaan)

[Kaisaan]

She knew.

The moment he came back to himself, Gabrielle sensed it, felt it as the energy around her seemed to flare to life, shooting off in different directions, absorbing every scrap of information it could glean from this place it found itself. David likely wasn't even aware of it, that psychic ability to explore and know his environment before he even truly saw it. When he was a child, she wondered if he'd ever gone somewhere and simply walked, knowing exactly where he was going? Or if he'd ever gotten lost? Gabby would bet a yes and a no to each respective question. She watched the gold now with vision that had yet to return to what the world called 'normal'. The truth was that Gabby didn't avoid this state of being because she was scared of it - though, she rightly should have been - but because it was utterly addictive.

She wasn't quite...human this way and the feeling was a heady one, tempting her to stay, to always view the world this way, to have half of herself in the realm of the unseen. She belonged there in a way Gabrielle had never felt in the 'real' world. And yet....she knew what happened to her kind, to those who stayed. It was that thought, knowing what she knew, knowing too much to stay and yet unable to entirely stay away, that the soldier pulled herself from the world that greeted and caressed her with gentle understanding and intense longing. She came back to the realm of harsh realities, colors dulled and the very air she breathed a stale sensation in her lungs. She came back to the stifling feeling of being touched by too many things at once, to responsibilities and realities she didn't want to face.

Gabrielle came back because she was needed. Always needed.

It was nothing more than a mantra within her mind as she forced herself to inhale, to blink, to lick her dry lips, to shift her body, to remind herself of where she was and how she must function. Green-blue eyes flickered to the dark pair that had gained clarity once more, but no more expression, emotion, question than she had already seen. Somehow it was...concerning. Disappointing. Painful? She wasn't sure, but Gabrielle resigned herself to it for now and she slowly moved her body, feeling her limbs only sluggishly responding. She was drained, in every way possible and yet, somehow, the blond woman managed to push it aside so she might be sure David was all right.

Sliding her form from the couch and to the floor instead, Gabrielle curled her feet up under her, letting her arm rest on the sofa and her head on her arm. The circles beneath her eyes had deepened, the freckles standing out starkly on her face in her exhaustion and she didn't bother raising her voice above a notch over a whisper. She was sure to keep a tight reign on her accent, however, unsure if that had triggered some of the adverse reaction in the male.

"It's all right. Everything is going to be all right, David. You're safe. I'm going to keep you safe. It's all right." Her eyes had closed, the words earnest, but nearly mumbled, somehow both determined and yet scared, desperate, as if she said the words as much to herself as to him. Perhaps Gabrielle did - needing to hear them, but instinctively knowing no one was going to say it to her. She would have to make do with saying it to herself until she believed it, accomplished it.

 

[Peregrine]

Serge and the other members of the house (except for little Faina, who was kept under control by her older sister) seemed to sense that their two visitors had been overwhelmed, although they were uncertain as to the reason why. For the most part Gabrielle and David were left alone for the remainder of that day and night, except for brief interruptions when they were brought a thick chicken soup for dinner, and then later that evening an inflated air mattress, many blankets to chase away the chill Russian air, and a pillow, so that they would be able to spend the night in the same room.

Whenever the other people entered the room, David always retreated slightly into his bubble. Most of it was born from reflex, his only recent memories of being surrounded by people involving the Doctor and his various helpers, but he didn't try and fight to remain aware either. David had always imaged that life would get easier for him if he was outside the Facility. He wouldn't have to worry so much about protecting himself from even the smallest of threats. Yet, somehow, nothing at all seemed to have changed.

Gabrielle's words ran through his head all evening, and just when he thought he had forgotten them they would come back to haunt him. He was safe. She wouldn't let anything happen to him. It would all, somehow, be alright.

He didn't believe it. He wondered if she did, either. Nothing was ever truly going to be alright again. He had no delusions on that matter. This world was just as unforgiving as the Facility, but this time he didn't have an understanding of how to keep himself safe. With Dahnov it was always a matter of concealing himself. Here, in trying to conceal himself it seemed he only garnered more attention.

He could feel his desire to panic, to finally acknowledge that it was all too much, that he was in over his head. Yet he couldn't. That would have given too much, would have shattered his little, useless bubble that had kept him safe for so long. There was no space within himself to panic. It would not happen.

So instead he slept, on that soft, worn, comfortable couch the likes of which he had never dreamed he would feel again.

 

[Kaisaan]

David slept but Gabby found she couldn't, not for long. Despite her utter exhaustion, her mind wouldn't let her remain in slumber, wouldn't let her reach a REM cycle that would have been so very helpful and healing right now. She tossed and turned fitfully, waking with the knowledge that she'd dreamed, but never quite knowing what she'd seen, only able to tell that it had scared her by the way her heart pounded and her lungs felt tight, sweat beading her forehead despite the cold Russian air. Every time she found herself looking to the man on the couch, hoping she'd not woken him, looking to see that he was still there, checking on him for any signs of distress.

Already it seemed second-nature to do so and Gabrielle felt some measure of relief every time she noted he was still asleep, that he was whole, in no danger. She wanted to say the instinct to look to him first was simply because she was trained so well to keep track of the people she knew around her. The soldier would have liked to claim her dedication to duty and her commitment to promises that made her so very aware of David. It wouldn't have been the truth, though. She knew exactly what drew her to him and it wasn't any practical or job-related reason.

It was affection, pure and simple.

HOW she'd managed to find him so endearing, so worth protecting that she'd worry over him so soon, so very soon, was a mystery Gabrielle didn't have the inclination nor the energy to solve right now. Maybe it was her need to have someone in her life after just losing her entire team. Perhaps it was not true affection at all, but fascination mistaken as something else. It could have been any number of things, but....it didn't feel that way. It felt like what it was, nothing more, nothing less.

It made no sense at all.

Her state right now did, though. Everything from the nightmares to the constant waking made sense. Her fear and panic upon waking, the pressure in her chest, the pain in her head, it was all explainable. Grief. Even putting a name to it, even just saying it in her head brought the smallest of sobs to Gabrielle's throat, a sound barely suppressed. She knew if she started crying she wouldn't stop and yet....without an outlet of a different sort.....she'd resort to screaming and THAT would NOT go over well at all. Not with the way she screamed, what it drew to her, what it summoned. No, she needed to cry, even as she didn't want to dare to do so.

So she wrestled with herself until the first touches of dawn were just thinking about coming over horizon. Gabrielle kept herself together until that point...and then she started to cry, unable to deny it anymore. No sooner had she started then a small Japanese woman was rushing into the room and Gabrielle was instinctively scrambling back, trying to rise even as the other woman shushed her softly, moving to sink to the mattress. She drew the soldier into an embrace without hesitation, like Gabby's mom always did, bringing the blond's head into her lap and one set of fingers smoothing her hair as the other hand and arm wrapped around her shoulders.

And then permission was granted to let go in the form of a soft, crooning whisper in her ear, exactly what Gabrielle needed - exactly what Maria could sense, had been feeling since the first moment the soldier had woken in the night. "Don't hold it in, child. I've got you. It's all right to cry."

That was exactly what Mesenia did, giving in and releasing the sobs that had been caged so very long.

 

[Peregrine]

It was quiet in the house, almost as quiet as his small room in the facility. It was for that reason, or so he told himself, that he found himself drawn into an unwilling consciousness as a faint noise came from the far side of the room. David did not stir, but still he felt himself drawn into a fuller wakefulness. It took him only moments to identify where the sound was coming from. Gabrielle. It took him only slightly longer to identify what the noise was. She was crying.

David knew the sound of crying. It had often echoed through the halls of the facility as home-sick children had tried to give themselves the little bit of comfort they needed to fall asleep. Back when he was younger, before he had learned to seal away his emotions from Dahnov's ability to see them, it felt like David had cried himself to sleep every night. The reason it took him a moment to identify it was because he had never dreamed that the sound would come from Gabrielle. He had barely known her for 48 hours, if that, but already he had come to rely on her. She was the only pillar of support he had in a world he could not even begin to comprehend. Somehow, hearing her cry made the world suddenly seem a much darker and more dangerous place.

All the same, he began to stir, rolling over on the couch and beginning to sit up. She was all he had, and maybe he was all she had too. Maybe that balance would provide some level of comfort to her. All he had to do was get up and go over to her.

But before he could fully rise, David found the place he had been about to occupy taken by the woman who had brought them soup earlier in the day. Gabrielle flinched away, and for a moment David wanted to chase her away, scold her for frightening the soldier. But the Gabrielle was being wrapped up in a warm, soft hug, and the sobs she had worked so hard to muffle were echoing around the room. David lay himself back down on the couch, burrowing his head into the back so that the world was entirely shrouded in darkness.

Gabrielle had needed comfort, and that was what she had gotten. The space that had needed filling was now filled.

It wasn't as though he'd had any right to claim it, anyways.

 

[Kaisaan]

Gabrielle cried for only a short time, until the pressure was bearable again and then the tears started to slow quickly after. She pulled away then, sitting up, nose stuffed and eyes gummy, but feeling more in control again, able to function. With that mindset came the need to resist the comfort given, however, to pull herself from it before it weakened her, before she could give in and rely on it. She couldn't afford to. She had to be strong. To show anything less than complete control was to invite trouble, it was dangerous and it would get David hurt. Perhaps even killed. She couldn't allow that. Gabby knew she couldn't let her demons overcome her.

Not again. The cost had been too high last time and then losing her team on top if it....she couldn't lose David. There would be nothing left.

Funny, that realization. Despite friends and family that still lived, somehow she was alienated. Gabrielle couldn't rightly remember if she'd done it to herself or if it had been done to her, but what did that matter? She was alone and now she couldn't even contemplate trying to reconnect. She was dead. That's what everyone would think and in so many ways it was true. She'd died months ago.

No, David was the only thing left, the only person she might be able to help. She might, maybe, be able to get this right. That would be a miracle, wouldn't it? Gabrielle nearly laughed at the thought before stilling the sound, stilling her reaction, her thoughts because she knew it would lead to hysteria. She couldn't afford that either. Maria, even as the small woman released her without question, seemed to sense it within her, though and dark eyes met her green-blue with worry. Gabrielle only gave a strained smile and spoke softly, wiping at her eyes and accepting the tissues handed to her for her nose.

"Sorry. Recent death in the family."

It wasn't entirely a lie. The team had been her family, her military family, but family nonetheless. Regardless of whether or not Maria believed it, she didn't question further, only touching Gabrielle's knee gently. "Think nothing of it, child. Even Banshees are allowed to cry." she assured softly before rising and leaving the soldier be. Gabrielle watched her leave, staring at the door for a long moment after she'd gone before she took a deep breath and let it out in an explosive sigh, resting her forehead to her knees for just a moment of composer before lifting her head again, running her fingers through her blond hair. Restless.

The grief had not gone, but the pressure of it had been siphoned off, the emotions skimmed away like the froth on a beer and she knew she could function again and ignore the rest. It left her needing to DO something, though and Gabrielle glanced to David, wondering if she'd woken him, unsure when he might wake if he was still sleeping.

She only knew that when he did, they needed to figure out what they were going to do. Where they were going to go.....not that David could really help with that, but....it felt wrong making the decisions without at least telling him.

 

[Peregrine]

Even if the two of them had not been silently awake, waiting for the day to give some indication that it was time to begin, they soon would have been, willing or not. When Faina woke up, everyone in the house woke up with her.

She was down the stairs and into the kitchen before David had even fully realized she was awake. There was an enthusiastic clatter of pots, before a happy cry of "Breakfast!" that was accompanied with a bunch of lights turning on. Alla was down the stairs only moments later, just in time for her to muffle another shout. There was a small amount of grumbling from a deeper, male voice the next room over, but that too was soon cut off as a tall, lanky blonde made his way towards the kitchen. Soon the friendly sizzle of oil in a frying pan echoed through the house.

David sat up, shrugging the blanket off his shoulders. Nothing in his posture or attitude gave away that he had heard Gabrielle's crying last night, and that was the way it would stay. Instead he glanced over at her, before glancing at the kitchen. It had been just over 15 years since he had last heard cooking food. The breakfast he had been given while at the facility had always been warm, nutritious, and filling, but it had always been delivered to him fully prepared, and had most likely been delivered to the facility in a state where it would only need minimal attention to get it to a state of proper eatability.

The smells and sounds brought back old, nearly forgotten memories of home. His mother had spent nearly every waking moment in the kitchen, at least when she wasn't cleaning the rest of the house or working to repair clothing or other fabrics. His father had often joked that he had married Oksana for her cooking. But David turned himself away from both the kitchen and the memories, instead facing Gabrielle. "Good morning," he said softly.

 

[Kaisaan]

The shout from the little girl had not startled Gabrielle, but rather had created a soft touch of a smile upon her lips as she continued to listen to the house waking. Just as with David, it brought memories to her mind as well and if she closed her eyes she could almost imagine she was back home, listening to her twin brothers waking. Coinneach and Alexander had always been boisterous, their voices carrying all over the house, often raised in some disturbance or another with each other. Their father, in the early years when he'd been around, had just laughed while their mother had set the house in order, scolding her sons and husband alike, but always seeming to give in to her own laughter after a time. Things had changed as Gabrielle had grown, of course, but she could recall fond things like that, if she let herself.

It was something she rarely did and even now blinked away the faint moisture in her eyes, banishing the memories to the recesses of her mind once more. And just in time to hear David, too.

His greeting brought a flicker of true surprise to the blond's eyes and then a slow, almost tentative, small smile followed. "Morning." was the soft reply before Gabby bit her bottom lip just faintly, seeming to debate with herself before she looked over at him again, her hands finding each other in her lap, fingers moving against each other, unsure about just what she should say now that he was actually awake. She dreaded doing something wrong again, sending him back into his unresponsive state. The problem was that Gabrielle had no way of knowing what would and would not do that, no idea how to....to communicate with David!

And yet...he had the same problem, too, didn't he?

The reminder from her conscience soothed the frustration into sympathetic understanding and the soldier took a breath and simply spoke, not entirely sure what the result would be, but continuing to hesitate certainly was not going to help anything. "Do you want to go out there? I could get breakfast and bring it back if you're not ready." Simple decisions. That was the way to go about it...she hoped.

 

[Peregrine]

As much as David was tempted to enter into the warm, friendly, exciting, hectic kitchen, into which Serge and Maria had entered only moments before to return a modicum of order to the morning, he also could not imagine himself in a situation where he would be surrounded by so much noise and moment. Neither had ever meant good things in the recent past. As much as he consciously understood that the people here were not going to hurt him, they were, after all, gifted in some respect or another, the presence of the gifted had never meant good things in the past either.

It had been a rare occurrence, but there had been times that Dahnov had left one of the gifted children, one of the more stable and stronger ones, but one who was on the edge of being pushed as far as they could go without their own power destroying them from the inside, stay with David for a period of time. During that they had been left alone together, neither having to face the usual experiments that had become so standard in their daily lives. The first time that had happened David and the young woman, a talented, beautiful creature who had been able to tell something's past just by touching it, had quickly become friends, and began to use their time together to concoct plans of escape, and the life they would lead together after they succeeded. Dahnov had shattered all those plans exactly one week from the time they had started concocting them, when he had twisted the young woman's power right out of her body, and shoved it into David. That was the first, and only, time he had nearly failed in holding up his barrier, and he had nearly let something escape in a desperate bid to save her. Dahnov seemed to have sensed that, but after two more children, all of them months apart, it became clear that David would not make the same mistake again.

The idea of being surrounded by a family of gifted people, whether they were related by blood or not, set his teeth on edge. He knew he was supposed to trust them, but he didn't. He knew Gabrielle trusted them, or at least she seemed to. That, somehow, seemed more reassuring. Perhaps she could convince him. Perhaps not. It was worth a try. He was free, and didn't want to live in the past anymore. At the moment it seemed like an inescapable trap, something he would always fall back into no matter how hard he struggled, but now, at least, he had the right to struggle.

Instead of answering Gabrielle's question, and not even realizing how much of a non sequitur his next statement would be, David asked "Why do you trust them?"

 

[Kaisaan]

David was right; the question was certainly off-topic, but Gabrielle didn't so much as blink over it. Rather she tilted her head just slightly, studying him lightly, not so much to pry his thoughts from his mind but more in a fleeting desire to understand what had brought him to that particular inquiry. She didn't ask, though, nor let her gaze linger so long that he would feel like he was under a microscope. No, the soldier looked away entirely, toward the door and the sounds emitting from beyond it. A thoughtful frown moved across his features, not distress or unsure, just pondering, trying to find the words, the right explanation.

Finally she looked back to the male and her words were soft even as they were simple, truthful. She didn't know if they would comfort him or not, didn't know if she even COULD put his mind at ease by this point. She seemed to have been failing in that regard so far, but maybe that couldn't be helped. Or perhaps she just wasn't good enough for the job the universe had handed her. Gabrielle didn't know, but she had to try, didn't she?

She really didn't know how NOT to try.

"I am not sure I do." The blond gave a slight shrug, not uncaring, but rather unsure how to make him understand what she knew instinctively by this point in her life. "There are different levels and kinds of trust in this world. They aren't all the same. I trust these people don't mean us harm and I trust that they won't speak of us just because they could. I don't trust them with our full story. I don't trust that they wouldn't crack under pressure. I don't know them, so I can't trust them more than what I feel I can on a minute to minute bases. I trust that they don't want trouble, that they have good intentions and that they would like to help us if we let them, but that is as far as I can trust them."

Gabrielle looked back to the door and then once more to David, drawing her legs up and placing her arms on her knees, gesturing outward with her hands briefly as she continued to speak. "I can't tell you concretely why I trust them, David. I wish I could. I know it would make things easier for you, but I can't. I suppose it's partly because they are like us, Gifted, but even that's not a guarantee that they are trustworthy. I really think it's because I've met so many people, had so many experiences that I can just...tell now."

The soldier gave a faint smile, looking regretful all the same. "I wish I could give a better answer, but I can't."

 

[Peregrine]

She was right. It didn't help, and it wasn't reassuring. If anything, it set him even more on edge. Even people who were taking care of them (in theory) and were keeping them safe (supposedly) couldn't be trusted. There was no telling what they may or may not do. The rest of the world had the potential to be even more dangerous and uncertain. David felt himself beginning to close away from the world, retreat into his bubble of awareness where he could watch what was going on around him but not be touched by any of it. Then he wouldn't feel the looming fear of everything that was out here that he didn't understand.

As he slid into the bubble the fear slid away, and some of the tension that had unconsciously stiffened his shoulders slipped away. The fists that had curled in his lap relaxed, and the faint jiggling of his foot halted. It was going to be okay, one way or another. He had never given up when he was in the Facility, even when the situation had seemed completely hopeless. The situation had been completely hopeless, and yet hope had found him anyways. Things didn't have to be any different out here.

He pulled himself back out of his bubble, at least as far as he ever went. The fear began to return, and he dipped back in, bobbing like a cork in the ocean until he finally reached a point of balance where he could still let the outside world affect him enough that he could respond, but it didn't provoke a reaction from him.

It was only at that moment that he realized he'd been silent and limp for a couple of minutes, even though he had never completely vanished beneath the surface of his bubble. He glanced at Gabrielle, dark eyes soft. The far was gone, but the uncertainty still remained. The only way it would go away was if he completely retreated inside his bubble, and a part of him knew that Gabrielle would only find a way to draw him back out again if he did. He didn't need it to go away. At least not right now.

"What are we going to do?"

 

[Kaisaan]

His silence spoke volumes and Gabrielle had to sincerely wonder if in time she'd be able to tell what he was thinking, what those bursts of long quiet meant if she spent enough time around David. How long would it take? Days? Weeks? Months? She was rather observant, had been that way ever since she was a child and while she wasn't anywhere NEAR the level of power the male before her was, and could not ever hope to reach where he was, the blond had always been powerful in her own right. Even as a young child she'd excelled in the gift passed down from mother to daughter within her family - a prodigy not seen in years her grandmother had claimed - and Gabby had always known it gave her insight into people in a way not even those with psychic abilities were privy to.

It was rather hard to see the true soul of a person and not know something about them.

For so long Gabrielle had seen souls, auras, life energy where other people saw faces, eyes, smiles. They saw the shells and she saw what lay beneath. It was only as she'd gotten older that she'd learned control - though, there were those among her people, her kind, who thought the control she was taught more like oppression of her gift, but Gabrielle had appreciated being able to see the world as everyone else did. She'd wanted to be....normal for so long.

Now she wasn't so fanciful, didn't daydream so very much about something she knew she could never be, about something she could never change. She knew damn well what she was, that it wasn't going away and what she could do. There was no changing it. That didn't mean she had to want it, though. It was a resigned acceptance, nothing more, but even she could see how it helped her - in her line of work especially....at least when she could make it work the way she wanted. It hadn't helped her team and that stab of pain threatened a sharp breath before she smothered it.

No, she hadn't been able to help them. But maybe she could help David.

Getting to know his cues, his silent words in the absence of voiced ones, his emotions so carefully absent, but perhaps clues there as to their preferences anyway. Maybe his soul, his very power could tell her more than the man before her ever would - perhaps ever could. For the life of her, Gabby didn't know why it mattered so much....but it did and she watched David now, feeling a spark of relief when he finally looked back at her and she saw she'd not entirely lost him once more. His question made her snort softly, a shake of her head and a hand through her hair an answer all its own.

She wasn't entirely sure.

"Well, I say breakfast for starters. After that....we have a few options to choose from. We can stay here, lay low, but risk a lot of questions arising from these people. It wouldn't be unreasonable of them to want to know who we are and why we are hiding, and it would appear as hiding after a time. I think that is our least-likely course of action. Another option is to just keep moving, but you're far more noticeable as being on the run if you stay on the run, and we need a goal, especially for you. You're in dire need of some training." That last part was said almost absently, Gabrielle's mind already racing with distant thoughts. She kept on topic, though, for David's sake. "I think the last option is the safest for us....even as it's the most risky at first. If I get in touch with the people I know, they can direct us to a safehouse. It would mean letting someone know I am alive, but I know who I can trust, who will keep their mouth closed and we need somewhere to go."

 

[Peregrine]

This was the first moment where it occurred to David that Gabrielle, as an American soldier who had gone missing when a building had exploded and fallen on her, where the rest of the soldiers with her had died, would be presumed dead. If there was anyone at home she cared about, or who cared about her, they would now believe she was dead, and wouldn't even have a body to hold a proper funeral. The only reason she couldn't tell people she was alive was because of him, because he couldn't take care of himself and she couldn't let people know about him. Part of him wondered if he should say sorry for the sudden loss of everything she had ever known. Part of him knew they had long since passed the moment for that.

Instead he directed his attention to their options. Gabrielle had already made it clear that they couldn't really trust these people, and the last thing David wanted was questions. He didn't want these people trying to pry into his life, and he didn't want to worry about what they would do if they knew about him. He was barely comfortable with the knowledge that Gabrielle knew about him, and he didn't want more people finding out. He was also fairly certain that them continuing to run had never been an option. Running required a mode of transportation, which in turn required either thievery or money. Thievery drew attention, and money... David wasn't sure if they had any of that either.

They were going to have to rely on Gavrielle's contacts. Vaguely he remembered that had been the plan before their car had crashed on the side of the road, and these people had found them. There was no sense in changing that now. What he did his best to ignore, at least for the moment, was Gabrielle's comment about training. She already knew more about his ability than any living person, but the idea of her delving deeper into his abilities set him on edge. That would be a hurdle to face once they got out of here.

For right now, she was right. Breakfast was the most important thing. But the idea of entering into that jubilant kitchen still set him on edge. Especially now that he knew they were going to be leaving this place as soon as Gabrielle could get a hold of her contacts. He didn't want these people digging into him any more than he had to, and he knew they were, consciously or not, digging. Faina was the only one who was honest about her curiosity about their strange visitors.

But Gabrielle had offered to go get him food, before he had started to wonder about their future. Hopefully she would stand by that offer. "You'll get it for us?"

 

[Kaisaan]

Maybe someone else would have been confused by the sudden change in topic - again - but Gabrielle followed the transition with an ease that surprised even her. From questions about breakfast, to issues with trust, going from future plans and back to breakfast again, she hadn't blinked an eye and now offered a gentle sort of smile, nodding even as she stood from her mattress. "Sure. Just be here when I get back." It was a soft tease, one she wasn't even sure he'd get or appreciate, but Gabby said it anyway. The only way David was going to acclimate to the real world was if he started experiencing it.

Maybe teasing wasn't something he'd encounter often, but with her it was a must, it was....a way of communicating, showing fondness, handling stress and she was not the only one who was going to have to learn cues in this.....partnership. For lack of a better word. Perhaps David didn't care about such things, but it he wanted to survive in this world, he was going to have to start learning to care. He wouldn't have much of a choice if he wanted to get anywhere with his life.

At the very least, he'd had to learn how to socialize, even if he hated every moment of it and never developed any actual relationships. And who knew, maybe that was how he'd like it. Gabrielle didn't know. But she did understand that whether he wanted it or not, he WAS going to get some lessons, a crash course really, in social behavior. Right now, though, was not the time to start pressing the issue, though. The blond knew that well enough and she exited the room on her own, padding her way to the kitchen, self-consciously brushing her fingers back through her hair and making sure her clothing - thank god she wasn't wearing anything too revealing as military gear - was in order. Peeking around the corner to take a look into the kitchen, she wasn't surprised to see a few pairs of eyes already on her. That's what happened when you had psychics and empaths in a house and she was rather used to it, something they seemed to note immediately as she did nothing more than step forward, not startled to have been found out so quick.

Serge, just finishing flipping the last batch of pancakes, looked up from his task with a welcoming expression. "Ah, Gabrielle, good to you awake. Did you sleep well?"

Aqua eyes glanced to Maria's dark set, but the Japanese woman said nothing and the soldier was left to answer for herself without threat of contradiction. "Yes, thank you."

"And your friend? David? Is he all right? He seemed a bit shaken up last night."

Gabrielle offered a smile, making it reach her eyes even if she didn't feel it. These people were warm, kind, but she didn't know them and while David might defend himself by retreating completely, she didn't have that luxury. She had to hide behind a well-crafted mask. Even that might not be enough with all the mind-gifted people in this household. "Yes, he's fine. Just in a bit of shock is all. He's better this morning, just not up for the noise quite yet. He's very shy."

"Not much of a people person, is he?" Serge offered and Gabrielle nodded just a little. "Something like that." was the soft reply as she proceeded to look around at those present. Maria she recognize and Faina was a familiar face, but the other woman in the room and the lanky male were not and Maria spoke into the relative silence, sensing what their guest wanted to know but wouldn't ask. "Gabrielle this is Alla, Faina sister and the young man next to her is Viktor."

"It's nice to meet you."

"Did you want some pancakes, Gabrielle? We have eggs, too." Serge offered, already starting to put servings on plates and the soldier's smile was a bit easier coming this time. "I'd like that, thank you. But, um...David...he's not really up for, um, socializing quite yet...I know it's a bit odd and we are grateful for your help, I just...."

"We understand, dear." Maria cut off her attempts at trying to explain while not insulting the people who'd already done a lot when they'd not had to. The Japanese woman took the plates from her husband's hands and gave them to the blond with a gentle expression. "There is no offense given. Go, eat and perhaps come see us a bit later, when you're both feeling better."

 

[Peregrine]

They were left alone all through breakfast. David ate the pancakes and eggs slowly, but in big bites, relishing the flavor that cascaded through his mouth. It was the best meal he had eaten in years, without question, and he wished that he could go back in time and experience eating home cooked food for the first time once more. It was by far the most emotion he had shown since he and Gabrielle had emerged from underground, and it was a sweet, almost childlike revelry in something common to all of humanity; the enjoyment of good food. All the same, he didn't say a single world to Gabrielle as they ate, and he was glad that she didn't insist upon filling the silence with idle chatter.

Because neither of them spoke, they finished their plates long before the group in the kitchen, which was ringing with laughter, voices, and happy chatter. Faina's voice was by far the easiest to pick out, shrill, quick, with occasional bits of incoherent babble mixed in that everyone else seemed to be able to understand just fine. When they finished with their meal Faina was sent into the other room to collect the dishes from their visitors. She was very excited to be given such an important job, and so she marched in with great aplomb, presenting her hands with a half bow. "Your dishes, ma-am?" she asked Gabrielle.

However, after Faina came to collect the dishes, no one entered the room. It seemed as though some sort of invisible barrier had surrounded the door, as no one even glanced in through it when they were passing by, let alone tried to enter. Viktor left the house shortly after breakfast, dressed in a simple outfit that looked to be a uniform of some sort. Faina and Alla left for short periods of time, never actually seeming to go anywhere except around the block or to a small, nearby park. This seemed more an effort to keep Faina out of everyone else's way, as the child never seemed to run out of energy. Oftentimes she would get so excited that little sparks of light would start shooting off her form, fizzling out mere inches from her body like some sort of firecracker. She wouldn't notice, but a disapproving look from one of the adults would remind her, and she would do her best to calm down, looking chagrined.

After the house had fully settled down Gabrielle left for a few minutes, journeying a short distance out into town to find a payphone and call one of her contacts. David sat stiff and unresponsive in the living room until she came back. There would be a place for them to hide within a couple days.

The five people that David had now met were the only ones who lived here, but people would come and go from the house all day. Every single one of them was gifted, either in a small or larger way. Most seemed to come to consult with Serge about matters that David couldn't even begin to guess at. One man, homeless by the look of him with a good week's worth of beard clinging to his lower face like a cat, spent nearly an hour with Serge and Maria, before leaving again.

Somehow, all the guests seemed to know before they actually entered the house that they weren't to bother the two people in the living room. Most likely Alla, if she was around, or Maria would tell them, as the two of them together never seemed to miss when someone was approaching the house. They made it seem as though stepping out front to meet people they obviously knew well was a normal routine, but it wasn't hard to guess that they were simply letting the new people know about David and Gabrielle before they could have a chance to ask at the wrong point. No one seemed to question it.

All the same, the curiosity was nearly visible. It wafted into the rooms on curious tendrils as the various members of the house did their best to restrain themselves from bothering the two people who obviously weren't comfortable with company. But still they practically burst with questions. Faina was the only one who was honest about that, having to be reminded multiple times by her older sister that, no, she couldn't go ask the new man whether or not he liked her drawing, or the beetle she had found outside on her most recent expedition. Her questions were also the most innocent, and would probably have been the most easy to answer. It seemed that the longer Gabrielle and David waited in here, the more the number of questions grew.

For their part, the two didn't talk much. Silence hung heavy in the room and seemed to weigh on the two occupants, making it very hard to break for any reason. Every hour or so they would have a short, quick, pointless conversation, but there wasn't really anything to say at that point. It was just a waiting game.

The day wore on into evening. Viktor came back. Faina and Alla went for another walk. Maria went into the kitchen to begin dinner preparations. The looming curiosity seemed to settle lower like some absurd fog, until David felt like he shouldn't even have been able to see the other side of the room. Finally he looked at Gabrielle.

"We are going to have to go out there, aren't we?"

 

[Kaisaan]

David's voice, so long silent up until now, startled Gabrielle just a little and she looked toward him with question in her eyes before her ears caught up to her mind and she realized she already knew the answer. A tinge of amusement came to her gaze, to the curling corners of her lips as she sighed and ran her hand back through her blond hair. She was in desperate need of a shower. "I'm afraid so." was the affirmative response before blue-green eyes moved from the door and back to David himself, concerned, inquiring, but her words only offering a way out if he wanted to take it. "I could go out there alone, if you want."

She didn't know what would be harder; having David stay here and trying to explain that - again - or having him with her and something triggering him into going catatonic again. She'd had soldiers freeze up on her, but this was a level above that and she'd had people freak out around her, too, but this...was somehow worse. At least when someone went into hysteria, you could calm them down. With David...there was nothing to calm. One had to break through that calm. It was harder and far less easy to explain away than a panic attack of the traditional sense would have been.

If he was going to go out there, among people she didn't know if they could trust, he had to be stable if not outright normal. The psychics would likely not be fooled, but they would probably stay quiet about it, too. Those with mind-powers tended to be of the 'keep it to themselves' types. They weren't ones for sharing everything they knew, heard, sensed or saw. Probably because they felt what a burden it was to know such things, to carry them around and they knew how much worse it could be when outside forces added to that weight - sometimes even under the guise of 'helping'.

No, Maria and those like her would stay their tongues.

It was a risk with the others, though, and Gabrielle studied David for a long moment, wishing she knew more about him. What would set him off, what would make him feel safer. She wondered if even HE knew. Perhaps she could have asked. Heck, she'd had ample opportunity today, but somehow it had never passed her heavy tongue, the questions, the words too much, too soon.

This might be too soon, too, but only David could decide that.

"Well, you up for it?"

--

"What do you think they're running from?"

Maria sighed even as Serge's arms wrapped around her waist from behind, her own hands continuing with the work they were doing, carefully chopping up the vegetables on the cutting board before her. Her own tone was soft and private, only for her husband and yet slightly scolding, too. "I think if they wanted us to know, they would have spoke of it, Serge."

An answering sigh left the redhead's lips as his head slumped, chin resting on his wife's shoulder. "We could help them." was his justified curiosity and Maria smiled, a chuckle in her throat at the soft whine in his. "I am sure they know that, but they seem to have things well in hand. Gabrielle went out earlier and we both know that wasn't a social call."

"They're both so young."

Maria glanced back at her husband, brows raised. "No younger than your or I when we had our own share of troubles. Our enemies don't wait until we're ready to face them, Serge. You know that." She pulled out of his arms to take the board covered with vegetables over to the pot of water, scraping them in before taking the board to the sink and then turning to face her spouse, a troubled expression on his face that softened her own as she reached forward and took his hands in her own.

"Serge, we don't know what kind of trouble they are in. We don't know if we can even help, but what we do know is that they are scared and we can do our best right here and right now to alleviate that fear. I believe not overly questioning them is the best way to do that."

There was a moment of silence before Serge rested his forehead to Maria's his voice containing a smile. "Tell that to, little Faina."

The only response to that could be laughter.

 

[Peregrine]

"I don't think I have much choice, do I?"

This was going to be hard. No, most likely it was going to be very near impossible. These people were going to expect David to act normal. Or, at the very least, like he had some exposure to general civilization, and hadn't spent the last fifteen years locked up in a secret Russian medical facility, and been experimented on by an insane doctor. How was he supposed to do that?

"Yeah," he corrected. "I'm ready." All the same, it still took him a good minute before he was able to make himself stand up, heading over to where Gabrielle was waiting. He stayed behind her as they exited the room, focusing on her shoulder as she led him through the house to where the rest of the family waited, gathered together around a pot of tea.

When Alla saw him enter the room, hands clasped tightly together in worry and his head bowed to avoid eye contact, she reached out to her little sister, pulling her close. It didn't seem to so much be an act of fear for Faina, but rather an attempt to comfort herself that she still had a bright bundle of joy to love, even if David didn't. Her power began to grow within her, and it lightly reached out towards him. David didn't know exactly what it did, but he knew it was coming for him, looking to tap into himself, even just superficially. He froze, retreating behind his bubble of protection where her power couldn't touch him.

Had he not been so numb in that moment, the look of shocked surprise on her face might have almost been comical. David knew exactly what she had felt when she tapped into him. Nothing. Judging by the look of surprise on her face, she had never gotten nothing before. He guessed she had gotten barriers and shields before, blocking whatever was inside, but in that moment she had touched him there truly had been nothing to find. That quick dip completely below the surface had been short enough that it was easily broken at the sight of the other people in the room, and the slight panic as he remembered he was supposed to be acting "normal". Whatever that meant.

Trying to cover up his hesitancy, David reached out and took Gabrielle's hand. His reach was somewhat hesitant, but he knew it made him look as though he was uncertain about approaching these strangers, whether they had saved him or not, and was relying on Gabrielle to give him strength and courage. That was the kind of bond they were supposed to have, or at least that is what these people probably thought. All he wanted was to get out of here. He didn't want to face these people. But he had no choice.

He met Gabrielle's eyes with his own dark, empty ones, trying to figure out how she did it. But that wasn't the kind of thing it was possible to learn through the eyes. Instead he looked away again, allowing Gabrielle to lead him to the couch and sit him down next to her. He tried to make eye contact with someone in the room, but broke away before he had held their gaze for even half a second. His head dropped down a little bit, and his hands curled together into a ball in his lap.

Something sat down on the other side of him from Gabrielle, a warm, little body that pressed up tight against him. He glanced over in surprise. Faina grinned back up at him, her different colored eyes seeming to glow with some internal light. David offered a faint, hesitant grin back at her.

 

[Kaisaan]

The contact was a little startling.

Gabrielle had watched the interaction between the strangers who'd taken them in and David, seeing, sensing in a way what wasn't truly there to observe and she'd not been surprised when the mind-gifted Alla had reached for the male, nor when David had instantly retreated into himself. The blinking, shocked response from Alla was expected, the questions that instantly rose to her eyes afterward not beyond normal. David seeking the soldier's hand, however, that was startling, but Gabrielle didn't flinch, didn't pull away or even give him a glance. She merely accepted it, behaved for all the world as if he'd done it a hundred times before and her fingers gave a gentle squeeze to the ones in her grip. Naturally comforting.

That was strange, though, wasn't it? Gabby was known for her sharp mind, her calm demeanor under pressure, her ability to compartmentalize her problems to get a job done. Her complete focus. But never would someone have claimed she was comforting.

It was rather strange.

Feeling David's eyes on her face, like the lightest brush of a presence beyond a mere gaze, the blond didn't know what he was looking for and the moment passed too quickly for her to wager a guess. If Gabrielle had known his silent question, his thoughts, she might have laughed in humorless mirth. How did she do it? How did she behave as if everything was fine, normal? She couldn't answer that but to say she'd known no other way. David had spent most of his life having to perfect his techniques in pushing the world away and in a way he'd been honing some parts of his power while doing so. He'd been, in a cruel and horrifying way, able to actually use his powers to some degree or another, to exercise some of their potential in a strangely free manner - even if it had only been to keep control of them and teach himself have to suppress them so deeply that they could barely be found. Gabrielle, on the other hand, while her life had appeared free, her circumstances for growing up far different than his - and by far the better option if only for humane reasons - had been full of just as many traps, dangers and pain as his had been. It had only been in a different context. The soldier had never been given the option to simply be with her powers. In a way, David was his powers. He'd gotten little chance to be anything else. Gabrielle, in contrast, had always had to control hers, to keep them at arm's distance, never allow herself to be anything but normal and acceptable by society's standards.

She'd risked exposure, experimentation and death if she didn't.

David should understand that. When confronted with the keys to your survival, you took them without question and held on to them tightly. For Gabrielle, surviving had meant blending flawlessly into the environment around her, just as much as disappearing had been David's method where he was. The goal was no different - only the method of achieving it.

The soldier couldn't explain such thought, not knowing the silent question and the moment passed with Maria's words, spoken gently into the silence that had descended. "There is no need to be so frightened, young ones. This is hardly the Inquisition."

Gabrielle forced herself to smile, to exhale, to even give a slight chuckle as she nodded, running her now free hand back through her hair, glancing at David, a bit relieved to see he'd taken to Faina. Well, at least he liked someone and that it was a child made a lot of sense. Faina was a lot less threatening than any adult, Gabrielle included. The soldier wasn't sure if she should feel stung by that or not and so dismissed it entirely, turning her attention back to the adults in the room. Someone had to and between her and David.....well, that wasn't really a question, was it?

"I'm sorry. We're just a little jumpy. Left a bad situation." It was truthful without revealing anything at all and it would let the others come up with their own conclusions, most likely wrong, AND let them subtly know that the subject wasn't going to be elaborated on - let them take their guesses as to why that was, too.

As expected, Serge was nodding and Maria was glancing between Gabrielle and David closely, but while the soldier felt the older woman's essence, her power brush against her mind, she didn't feel those same tendrils of energy reach for David. Wiser and older than Alla, Maria seemed to know better, warning given clearly enough when Alla had attempted it. Gabrielle's mind was different, though, approachable.....if dangerous in its own way.

Very dangerous, and Maria didn't linger. She'd only been validating the truthfulness of the soldier's words. Now satisfied, she drew back and gave a gentle smile. "We understand. You are welcome to stay here as long as you need."

"We appreciate that, but I have friends who'll come for us in a day or two. We wouldn't want to impose on your hospitality." It was gracious, but firm as to what their plans were: not to stay. Serge heard it clearly and gave his wife a glance, one she returned with amusement before the red-haired male looked back at the two guests. "There is no imposition, but we understand your desire to be among friends. On that note, how long have you and David known each other?"

"Long enough."

The words were immediate, without hesitation, but not hostile. They simply were, smoothly given and Serge, who'd more directed the question at David in curiosity to see if the male would respond to anything at all, looked back to Gabrielle with a slightly raised brow. She returned it with a serene look and the man felt a smile curl at the corner of his lips, more than understanding what she was doing. Gabrielle knew he knew and still remained calm, merely awaiting the next question.

"How did you meet?"

"Hospital."

"You were both sick?"

Gabrielle's expression gained just the slightest bit of tightness, but her words explained why it would be an appropriation response to the question. "I had a death in the family."

Serge tilted his head just a little, glancing at the silent man on the couch beside the blond. "And David?" He didn't seem to even direct the question at the younger man now, sensing either he wouldn't answer or Gabrielle wouldn't allow it. The blond was very obviously defensive of the quieter male if not downright claiming of him. It was rather interesting to witness in a Banshee. They were usually such solitary creatures.

"He'd been brought in for observation." was the still truthful, but evasive answer and Maria finally elbowed her husband lightly, giving him a stern look when he glanced at her questioningly. "Serge, stop interrogating the girl." She turned her dark eyes to the two opposite them, smiling gently. "Dinner will be done soon. Will you join us?"

 

[Peregrine]

Throughout the entirety of the conversation, Alla kept her eyes on David. She never tried to probe him again, although a couple of times she seemed to catch herself in the act of starting, but at the same time her attention never wandered from him. David couldn't guess whether it was born from curiosity, suspicion, or fear for Faina, who was still sitting right next to him. Most likely it was some combination of all three.

If Faina sensed her older sister's concern, she didn't seem to worry about it. She also didn't seem the least bit concerned with the conversation the adults were having, or their suspicion of the two visitors int heir midst. She played with a strand of her dirty blonde hair, twirling it around one finger until it got all tangled, and she had to pause for a minute to extract her finger from the snarl.

David did his best to keep his eyes from her, despite the fact that he felt her glancing up at him at least every five seconds. It wasn't out of concern of what the other people might think were he to be watching her, but rather a desperate attempt to spare himself from memories. He had seen countless children like her. He had even been one once. And, of all the children who had come and gone, he was the only one to last longer than three years. Somehow, he had lasted five times that length.

If he looked hard enough at Faina, he would doubtless find traces of her in the other children. Or perhaps it would be more accurate to say he would find tens of other children coming together to form her. David didn't actually know this little girl. But it felt like he did.

Trying to distract himself David did his best to pay attention to the conversation that was taking place between Gabrielle and Serge. Despite Maria's promises that this would not be an interrogation, Serge didn't seem to agree with that statement. When he turned his eyes and questions towards David the young man nearly flinched, but secured as he was between Gabrielle and Faina there was nowhere for him to run. Except perhaps in.

Before the possibility had even more than crossed his mind Gabrielle had responded, and Serge's eyes had turned to the soldier. He did not look at or speak to David again, and it was a relief.

It only took three more prying questions from Serge for his wife to intervene, drawing the conversation-slash-interrogation to a halt and turning everyone's attention to dinner. They were quick to agree, or at least Gabrielle was, not wishing to offend their hosts, and David understood and agreed with the necessity. All the same, he couldn't help but wonder whether or not they had actually accomplished what they had come out to do.

When everyone got up to move he clung to Gabrielle a little tighter, forcing her to remain seated in the couch as everyone stood and made their way over towards the kitchen under Maria's prompting. Faina hopped up almost immediately, bouncing to her older sister and tugging on the bottom of her blouse, begging to be picked up even though it couldn't be more than ten steps from living room to kitchen. Viktor slouched into an upright position, hands shoved deep into pockets, and led the procession out of the room.

David leaned closer to Gabrielle, mouth as close to her ear as he could get without making it look like he was trying to whisper a secret to her. He knew that, at least for the next couple of days, they needed these people. He had come to understand that much. Gabrielle's reluctance to say anything else about their situation only reinforced that they couldn't trust them. He didn't want to be overheard, didn't want to spark any suspicion. So desperate was that need that he didn't even realize, when he spoke, the voice that reached Gabrielle was carried far more by his own power than it was by the air. "What do we need them to think?"

 

[Kaisaan]

Once again, David's grip was surprising, but Gabrielle accepted it - silently acknowledged the existence of the forming tether between them, letting the wisps of his power, the man's very essence curl around her own little by little without reservation. That alone should have scared the living daylights out of her, but rather than panic or shove the need that was David's presence away, she inclined her attention toward it, drew closer when he allowed and waited, rather patiently, when he hesitated and threatened to draw away. Gabrielle couldn't even explain to herself why that was.

She'd never acted in such a way toward anyone. Ever.

Such thoughts were not concrete things within her, though, only passing observations, subconscious whispers as she tried to work the mystery of it all out in an inward fashion. No, the soldier's attention was on the very physical part of David, holding on to her hand with an ever-tightening grip that didn't hurt so much as it warned her about how very scared he really was, even if he was keeping himself together quite admirably. His voice reached her just as the tingling energy from his power did and Gabrielle gave ear and time to both, her own words answering in a quiet tone - not so much worried about others seeing them talking; it was only natural - and her own energy reaching out slowly, gently to not quite touch David's own, but to pass by it, close enough that her presence would be felt, but her energy wouldn't crowd him, wouldn't demand anything he wasn't willing to give. He wasn't alone and he didn't have to be so scared. She was right here and she wasn't going to let anything happen to him.

"We need them to believe you were abused." was the first explanation and Gabrielle glanced at the male, her green-blue eyes both soothing in a way, calm, but factual, ever the soldier. She couldn't allow herself not to be. "It won't be hard; they already do, and it's not a lie. The story we will tell, though, is that you were being abused, someone reported it and that's why you were in the hospital. I had a death in my family, also not a true lie, and that's when we met. When the hospital started asking questions about your bloodwork, because of your power, you were forced to run and I helped you. Now we're here." It was short, simple and carried just enough truth to make it seem completely plausible. More than that, it gave David the freedom to not have to act normal, to be skittish if he needed to. It gave Gabrielle every excuse to be protective and it explained why they were on the run without having to go into details.

Gabrielle had been given a great deal of training regarding creating such stories, though. She was very good.

"That is our story, and chances are you won't have to tell it, so don't worry about that. Just breathe, David, and try to relax a little. I'm not going to tell these people the whole truth, but that doesn't make them the enemy. They are allies, for the time being and it's just as much for their protection that we don't tell them everything as it is for ours."

With that, she gave his hand the lightest of tugs and started to stand. "Come on, you'll feel better with some food in you." She knew she would and Maria's cooking smelled wonderful, already making her mouth water.

 

[Peregrine]

David allowed himself to be pulled to his feet, and made his way slowly into the kitchen, a step behind Gabrielle. Try to relax a little, she had said. To try and distract himself from all the eyes David devoted him to thinking about what exactly that meant. What did she want when she told him to relax? Somehow, he doubted it was the meaning that he commonly associated with it. Whenever the doctors had wanted him to relax they wanted him to go limp, in order to make it easier for them to complete whatever test or experiment was coming. But perhaps that was still what she meant, albeit in a slightly different context. The doctors had wanted him to physically relax. Gabrielle obviously didn't want that or she wouldn't have pulled him to his feet, but maybe she wanted him to mentally relax.

He wasn't entirely certain what that entailed, either. But he would try, because Gabrielle had asked him to. David didn't take the time to consider why that mattered so much all of a sudden, but if he had thought about it the answer would have been fairly obvious. Gabrielle was his lifeline, whether he wanted it to be that way or not. She was the only thing keeping him alive, and he was inextricably bound to her. Up until this point retreat had been his only method of survival, but now it was suddenly joined by another option. "Do as Gabrielle says." And just as was always the case, for both of them, he would do whatever it took to survive, and rely on whatever methods were presented.

The people in the dining room had been kind enough to leave two seats right next to each other, and, although they did their best to make it look coincidental, he was certain it wasn't mere chance that had put Faina on one side of the open chairs, and Maria on the other. Faina offered a big grin to David, before gesturing at the table. "We made 'paghetti," she said proudly. "With meatballs." Her head bobbed as though that was the end-all be-all of the entire dinner conversation before reaching for the giant bowl of spaghetti that looked partially drowned on sauce.

Alla's own hand intercepted the enthusiastic girl before it could make it into the bowl. "Manners, sweetie. Wait your turn." Faina pouted, but allowed Alla to tuck her hand back into her lap.

Gabrielle gently sat David down in the chair next to Faina, and as soon as he was firmly planted in the seat he let go of her hand, tucking it away into his own lap where it wouldn't accidentally brush against anything. In front of him, and every other person in the room, was a medium-sized plate with a wide brim, a napkin, fork, and simple butter knife. Just to the right of the plate was a small crystal glass. The whole thing was neat and pretty, clearly set with loving care before each evening. The memories of long-forgotten family dinners swum to the front of his mind, and David's head dropped slightly, protectively, and his hands came together into a small bundle. In addition to the serving bowl filled with spaghetti, there was a small basket of black bread, a larger bowl of potato salad, sauerkraut, and several pickled mushrooms. David's eyes lingered briefly on each bowl before moving on to the next.

"Do you not want 'paghetti, David?" It was only at that moment that David realized he had missed Faina, or rather Alla for the little girl, pass the bowl of spaghetti in his direction. David shook his head, before realizing that could easily be misinterpreted as "no, I don't want any", rather than "no, I don't not want it." Instead of trying to clarify with words, he reached out to the bowl, carefully lifting a spoonful of the pasta onto his plate. One noodle flopped out from among its comrades, falling halfway across the plate and turning the tablecloth red. As David glanced down in surprise the little noodle began to wriggle, before crawling back onto the plate. David glanced up in alarm, following the trail of energy that had caused the noodle to move, only to see Viktor across from him, an impish grin on the young man's face that seemed more suited for a boy of 10.

"Viktor, let the boy get his own food," Serge reprimanded gently.

"Do mine, do mine!" Faina threw in.

"Would you like a mushroom?" Alla asked gently.

Suddenly feeling overwhelmed by all the noise and activity David lowered his head, hunching forward slightly over himself. A small part of him desperately did want a mushroom, remembering popping the little things whole into his mouth when he was a boy and sucking on them until they crumbled, but at the same time he unable to say anything through the growing noise and commotion. Much to his surprise, when he looked up again, there was a mushroom on his plate, and Alla was wiping her fingers off on the napkin. He picked it up gently and studied it, before placing it into his mouth.