2025/House of Tiggers

House of Tiggers
Date of Scene:	19 August 2017
Location:	Mutant Town
Synopsis:	Yana provides Ohotnik with a safehouse as payment for her assistance in ridding Mutant Town of the Evos. Friendship Building 101.
Cast of Characters:	Black Rose, Okhotnik

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Black Rose has posed:
    This time, Yana made sure Alexia wasn't trailing her, and had left her in the fine company of Tabitha. Only then did the blue-haired girl head out of the mansion, and hop in her Camaro, recently washed and waxed, towards Mutant Town. She'd left it in a garage that her father had taken over there, to keep it safe. And then? Then Yana had gone hunting. Hunting for cats. And, hunting for cats in the general area where she'd found Diya before, no presents today, at least that one can make out (or smell), but she walks with a fair confidence. Afterall, the Evos are cleared out, and the Russian Mafia is slowly moving in with a few of their own mutant men and women to at least take a firm grip on Mutant Town. Keep the peace. And, well, manipulate the crime to their benefit.

Okhotnik has posed:
The one aspect of the Bratva that has not been successful in Mutant Town so far has been their low-end street crime. Pickpockets just cannot seem to prosper here in Mutant Town. There are a plethora of theories as to why, but none seem to hold water. What has become obvious is that pickpockets seem to be outed, not in hours or in days, but in minutes or even seconds. And once outed, word of them spreads like wildfire.

It's very annoying.

When Yana makes her way into the tunnels, it is not terribly hard to make her way towards the storm runoff tank to find Diya. She is not resting naked in the water this time, but is instead sitting off to the side, on dry concrete, surrounded by all of the cats. She looks up as the scent of the other woman and her sounds of approach reach her, and her eyes are glowing in the minimal light as Yana comes down the passageway towards her. A soft hsst here and there and the cats move out of the blue-haired young woman's way, making a path for her to come forward. The cats do not look pleased with being disrupted, but they move nonetheless.

"Yes?" Diya inquires, curiously, wondering why Yana is here. What can the Bratva princess need today?

Black Rose has posed:
    If Yana knows about the issues with the pickpockets, she does not bring it up with Okhotnik in the least. Instead, she gives a sharp smile at the older woman's bravado. And, if Yana is disappointed she did not come across the other woman skinny dipping, it doesn't show in her features, or her words. "I could say I was just dropping by to check in on you, but that really wouldn't be most of the reason I came over." Though, perhaps it is some. "I've got something for you, and I'd like to show it to you. If you've a mind for a small walk?"

Okhotnik has posed:
Diya considers the other woman carefully for a few long moments, perhaps measuring her stance, or her scent. Then she nods. "Alright. I can come with you." That said, she lifts up to her feet gracefully, and moves around the cats, never once displacing one of them so that she has an easier walk. "Which way? Would you prefer to go above? Or would a safe, stable path below be suitable for you?" she inquires.

Black Rose has posed:
    "We can go this way." She gesturs southwards, down through the sewers. "It's not far." She looks towards Diya, curiously, "You know," she says casually, when Diya reaches her, "Alexia is quite worried about you. I am, a little. But for different reasons. But I also know you can take care of yourself. Still. I did mean what I said, last time we spoke."
    She begins to move, slowly, leading the other woman casually through the sewers, so far, in a straight line. SHe doesn't appear to be in any hurry to get to their destination. "I've gotten you something. It's up to you, if you wish to take it or not."

Okhotnik has posed:
Diya has taken everything both women have given her; she just hasn't kept them, instead redistrubuting to her network of homeless that she cares for. She follows at Yana's side, eyes still glowing eerily as she picks her way along with almost complete silence. "Why is it that you are both so worried about me?" she inquires with a grumbly edge; has she shown herself somehow incompetent, to cause such worries? "I won't know what to do with your gift until I know what it is."

Black Rose has posed:
    "Because Lex is Lex. And, because she has lost friends." The Morlocks. "She knows what it is to lose people she cares about. And, you are alone. They were together," Yana says, reasonably. "You also saved her. Imprinted yourself on her in a very impactful way." The young girl is speaking beyond her years, and understanding. Or at least, beyond what most blue-haired punk-rock girls might speak. "She cares about you."
    Yana pauses, at an intersection of the sewers, frowning, as if trying to get her bearings. One can see her thinking, momentarily, and she stakes a few steps to the right, looking behind her, and then nodding. "Yes. This way."
    Then, she notes, "I'm worried for you for a different reason." She looks back to the woman following her, "You saw a lot, in Russia, didn't you?"

Okhotnik has posed:
"In Russia. And elsewhere." Diya doesn't bother to deny it. Truth is Truth. She might remain silent, but that would only confirm for the Bratva princess; better to state it baldly and openly. Honor is still honor.

The Russian glances along the various potential pathways; she has learned the ways down here, and knows what lies in each direction. Once Yana selects her path, Diya continues to follow. "I have no intention of being 'lost.' But life is never guaranteed." That's as close as she'll come to acknowledging the issue with Lex.

Black Rose has posed:
    "Now. If I remembered right, ...," Yana finds a solid steel door, which the front of it reads 'Restricted Access' and pulls out a key from her pocket, shoving it into the lock, turning it. And then she's moving to climb up a ladder, up to the top. Where she got the key? She doesn't say. "It's only going to get worse, with your - conflict," she says, choosing her words carefully, though meaningfully, "With your abilities. But c'mon. It's up here." There's a thunk, and she pushes the sewer grate to the side. Strong little thing, yes?
    She climbs out, to the outside, arriving in a thin, non-descript alley, which more or less is abandoned. Mostly because that, simply by design, it's one of those places that several abandoned, or closed buildings 'block in' and used to, at one time, share some kind of courtyard. Now? That 'courtyard' is unused. Forgotten.
    Yana waits for her 'friend'.

Okhotnik has posed:
Diya follows quietly, without comment. She notes lots of things; she has that hyperaware state that surely the likes of Yana have seen in other veterans. But she doesn't comment on them, just follows along, even up the ladder. Blocked-in is never a great thing with her, and she clearly twists this way and that, eyes peering up in each direction, looking for sniper's perches, murder holes, other traps. This is a killing field, and the rampant tension about her makes it clear that's how she perceives it. She hasn't grabbed Yana by the throat yet, but the tension says she might at any moment now.

"What are you doing?" Diya questions, with a low, dangerous growl in her throat. Yana has seen enough of this woman fighting to know that even her power is not proof positive against the damage Diya can and //will// do if threatened.

Black Rose has posed:
    Yana looks at Diya, and very purposefully shows both her hands to either side, a small measure to show pacification, or subtly suggest it. "I have sworn I would protect you," she reminds the woman, with a gentleness to her words, an absolute sincerity. "You are - family. I am doing what I said I would. Giving you something." She nods, towards one of the abandoned looking buildings, another steel door. It looks disused. but, Diya's keen and hyper senses would be able to tell it's been /designed/ to look that way. It's not from age.

Okhotnik has posed:
Diya leaps upwards, fingers scrabbling until she seizes hold of an edging. Then she sweeps the area from that higher vantage point, leaping from wall to wall. It's not really something a normal person would be able to do with such power and grace, but she does it nonetheless. Then Diya drops back to the ground beside Yana from a height of thirty feet or so. She has satisfied herself that this, which could be a killing field trap, has not been prepared for that.

"I have had others give their word to protect me, and betray that oath." Diya admits, without rebuke, without heat or anger. Just a statement of fact.

Then the soldier walks over to the door, examining it closely. "Freshly siliconed. Almost scentless. The distressing and rust are affect, They are real, but are not based on age. This is a shell, an appearance. The door is still quite solid, and far newer than it appears."

Black Rose has posed:
    "Correct," Yana agrees. She fits another key into the door, pushes it open. And inside? Well. It's no palace. But, it's - comfortable. Yana moves through the door, to give the other woman space to consider, to come as she sees fit. "It's my safehouse. Or, shall I say, your safehouse. Only three people know about it. My father. Me. And, now you." She's speaking the truth. "It's quite secure. Feel free to walk around, at your leisure."
    Yana may not know if the other woman is mutant, or something else, but she's displayed enough feline attributes or behavior she's well aware that Diya may just want to do just that. Prowl the area. Inspect. Investigate. Before she satisfied herself. As she did in the courtyard.
    There is a comfortable sofa. A bed. A dresser. A small, but functional and working kitchen. A clean floor. A small, and working bath.
    Due to the boarded up windows, there is no natural light, but there is plenty of soft light in ceiling lamps. It's secure. Quaint. Comfortable.
    "If you want it," Yana holds out the key, "It's yours. I understand if you don't. But, I think you might be more comfortable here. And you can use the sewers as your own safehouse. If you need to."

Okhotnik has posed:
Diya does a thorough inspection of the safehouse, including checking out the supplies that are stashed away. Weapons. Clothing. Food. Water. Other equipment. Even bedding, linens, towels and batteries. It's not hard to guess that she's building a mental catalog of everything here, where it is kept, how much there is, even model numbers and the like. It takes a good twenty or thirty minutes before Diya finally finishes and returns to Yana.

"So, we would share this safehouse? You, and I?" Diya questions, curiously. "Or do you mean to give this over entirely to me?"

And after that question, she asks another, much more incisive. "Why?"

Black Rose has posed:
    "This was given to me while I was deciding what school I was going to attend. And, while I was assessing Mutant Town. I don't need it any longer, really. I would only need it if I was in -real- trouble. I've got Xavier's, right now," Yana answers.
    "Because as Spetsnaz, you know the Bratva well. We are - vicious against our enemies. And against those who betray us. But we are - passionately loyal to family. I don't expect you to trust me overnight. Or, even in a month. Or, a year. But, it has to begin somewhere. And," Yana persists quietly, "Because - you deserve someone. Someone to trust in. Now. Later." She steps forward, "Think of it as - a gift. A reward, if you must, for helping me clear out Evos. You did it a lot faster, and more quickly than I ever could have alone." She shrugs, "I owe you. But, that's not the real reason. The real reason is - you're too remarkable a person to sequester yourself in the sewer out of fear of yourself. This will give you your solitude, and peace you desire. Without - risking the slow decline of your humanity."
    And, it might become raptly apparent just how insightful, and how smart the Priness actually is.

Okhotnik has posed:
Diya turns to regard the Bratva princess curiously, attentively. "I haven't been staying in the tunnels out of fear of my declining humanity." she answers. "I have been staying in the tunnels so that those who may have identified me as a threat do not target the others of my homeless in an attempt to get to me."

because even if the army has abandoned Diya, Diya is still a soldier. A soldier sworn to protect the people with her service and with her life.

Even foreign, homeless people in a strange land who don't even know her name. Forgotten and abandoned by their own corrupt, useless society.

"I will accept." she answers, after a good, long delay. And Diya holds out her hand for the key. "I will warn you: I will be arming this place further, on the chance that those who are hunting me ever find me." The warning is not about the weapons; it's about the threat that those who might find her might then target Yana, or her father's men.

Black Rose has posed:
    "My father chose it because it would be easily defendable. Especially with my - unique abilities, I could essentially take them out, one at a time, if anyone ever came for me. Non-descipt. And, I thought it would please you well enough. And, as far as adding to the armory? Feel free. It was designed for -me-. Not you." Yana's smie curves sharply.
    "But I didn't mean that you were afraid of your declining humanity. It would have, however, been a result, in the end. Regardless if intended, or not."
    She moves over towards the other woman then, "I wasn't certain you would accept, though. I'm glad you have."

Okhotnik has posed:
Diya nods, accepting the key. "As I said, this place can serve the same end as the tunnels, and is more defensible. Refusing it would serve no purpose." And besides, Diya knows enough about the Bratva to know that neither Yana nor her father will relax until they feel they have somehow answered the debt incurred by her willingness to help them in their fight here in Mutant Town. The fact that Diya did so in order to protect Lex is largely ignored by the others, and that is fine with Diya.

"So. Does accepting this end the tug of war between our debts? Or just exacerbate them?" the Russian soldier finally asks, much as she doesn't really want to make this antagonistic. She cannot help herself: she is a straight-forward sort. And she does not want a war with the Bratva if it can be avoided.

Black Rose has posed:
    Yana continues to smile, just a little. "Our debt is cleared," she says, quietly. "You are hesitant to trust me, fully. You trust me enough, to take this place. I'm grateful for that." She moves over towards the bed, and away from the other woman before she sits down, comfortably. She shrugs, "I suppose I don't blame you. I am Bratva, afterall. But I have said you are family. You know what that means, too, for us, do you not, if you know us so well?"%

Okhotnik has posed:
Diya glances towards the blue-haired Bratva princess and nods, accepting the other woman's words and their implications. It's true: she is hesitant to trust anyone, and especially someone like the Bratva. But she also understands how they operate. "I won't swear into the Bratva, Yana. That is not my family. But I will help to protect this place and the people in it. They are mine." She takes a seat at the desk, turning it to face the bed. "I trust you to protect ourselves, and our home." And that'll have to be enough.

Black Rose has posed:
    "There will be crime. There is -always- crime. But, my father has promised me that the Bratva's hand will be - less here. For a number of reasons. We will enforce. We will run errands. Businesses will come under our influence. But, we will control crime. Mediate it. Monitor it. And, punish any who attempt to go outside that jurisdiction."
    She goes on, venturing, "The mafia, in it's purest form, afterall, was created to be a monitoring force to be where law enforcement could not, or would not go. To be a secondary hand to justice. Enforcement. It is my city, too," she shares, earnestly. "I wish to do my father proud. I wish to become the greatest mutant I can be. And, I wish to be your friend. I respect strength. And honor. Even integrity. You have all of those in spades."

Okhotnik has posed:
Diya listens carefully, and nods only when Yana is truly done, finished with what she has to say. "This place needs a law that goes beyond the police. They are afraid, here. They cannot keep the people safe. And they do nothing to protect those who are homeless." Not that Diya inherently blames them, but a part of her does; how can she not, when she is //one// of those homeless.

Or she has been. Perhaps that is no longer true? So confusing!

"I helped you eliminate the Evo because they were a threat, to the people on the streets, and to Lex. Now, they are gone. I knew helping you would put you and your father in power. I can live with that." At least until she can't. Diya is nothing if not practical and expedient. "And thank you." She isn't terribly comfortable with compliments, but she will accept them when they mean that the Bratva respect her, and what is important to her.

Black Rose has posed:
    "Good." Yana seems pleased with the arrangement, and the bluntness they're both comfortable in sharing. "I am training Lex to be more confident in herself. I've already showed her how to use her abilities to provide a shield for herself, and to disarm mulitple opponents who might be attacking her at once. I wish to protect, her, too. But," Yana admits, casually, and rather openly, "I suppose that is because I see so much potential in her. And my parents were very insistent on bringing out my best. It's ingrained." She shrugs her slender shoulders, loosely.
    She wonders, then, "So where does that leave us?"

Okhotnik has posed:
"For now, I would say that leaves us as neighbors, with a commingled interest in a mutual friend's well-being and development." Diya offers, honestly. "I intend to train her to fight. And to have better situational awareness and preparedness." All things a Spetznaz soldier specializes in for mere survival, and things heightened by the inherent paranoia of PTSD.

"Is that acceptable to you?"

Black Rose has posed:
    "Is that all?" Yana almost seems - disappointed? But she does not further elaborate as to why, or give any clues. She nods, "I suppose that is acceptable, for now. You can teach her situational awareness. Survival. I - can teach her how to be more formidible in a fight, and expand her abilities beyond her use of it for thieving."
    Yana stands up then, "I hope it will serve you well, in the meantime." Meaning the safehouse. "I will help, if I can, otherwise. There are some things, though, that will take longer to heal."%