Family Ties

The ship arrived in the Drachman harbor without so much as a hitch, the cold air with its flurries of snow scattering white flakes upon the deck. The many passengers were bundled up to the brim, their tan skin betraying where many of them hailed from. Most, except for one woman. She watched the plank get lowered to the dock, the people that bustled about doing their work in her warm, down jacket. It was long, covering down to about her knee's with tall winter worthy boots upon her feet. Leather gloves were upon her hands, and her white hair was mostly hidden beneath a warm hat, yet some bangs refused to listen and remained visible to those around her. Surprisingly enough, despite the warm, tropical climate she was used to, Stella was rather ok with this sudden shift to the winter that she had never known.

Shouldering her bag and grasping her suitcase, she had traveled rather light, taking a deep breath as she followed the other passengers off of the ship towards the city that loomed up in front of them. She paused once her feet touched the land, absorbing the fact that she was here. She had made it. Taking a deep breath, Tanya exhaled slowly and took another step, then another. The land of her father, of her sister. The land she had never known except from pictures and movies, not to mention the stories that her mother told. The land of snow, ice, and vodka. Hehe, that was the description she had been given after all! Oh yeah, and the land of few smiles.... That was the other thing. As she looked around, she took note of the lack of vegetation about and it made her frown a little, glancing down to a slip of paper that she pulled out of her coat pocket. Alright... She had made it. Now.. the harder part. How did she find a twelve year-old girl whom had been taken in by the government while their parents had gone missing. Or... well... her father had gone missing. The Lady Tarasov was not her mother in the least bit.

Leaving footprints behind her, she found her way to the train station to head into the grand city of Moscow, her luggage in a bin over her head as she leaned her head back while watching the scenery go by. But there wasn't much of it to see. All she saw was the signs of rebuilding everything, and the scars of war. It made her stomach squirm, her violet eyes growing so mournful as she saw some homeless staring at the building where they must have lived. War.... It was so ugly. All it did was destroy, what good came of this? These people were now displaced, and the heaviness in the air weighed down even upon her. And she hadn't even been involved! Vito's expression still rose to her face upon the mention of this country, of what had happened here for him.... It still gave her a pang within her heart, glad that she had managed to make him smile and gave him those flowers. Yes, she had brought more light into the world! And those flowers would be happy to bring such joy to the world as well. Or at least... thats what she believed. If flowers could talk.

"Now arriving at..."

Looking up at the automated voice, Tanya snapped back into the present, blinking to the background noises that flooded back into her consciousness. Drachman. Right. Not Esparian. She wasn't back home at all. She was... home.. in a sense? She had been conceived here. This was where her parents had met. Was the Tarasov family still regarded in any sort of good standing at all? Had any new news come of their disappearance? Did Zinaida even know anything? How was she going to find her? Smoothing her bangs off of her face, she grabbed ahold of her things and blended into the crowd as they got off, startling as she saw all of the construction that was going on. She wasn't too far from where the Kremlin was, her eyes wide as she saw the ruins of a helicopter still lingering in the middle of the street up ahead. What... had happened? Shivering, it wasn't from the cold at all, she took a calming breath and glanced about to get a sense of where to go from here. She might as well start at some government building right? For they surely would have files upon her little sister. Oh god... Did she even know she existed? How would she react to her? Was this a mistake on her part? How was she faring now? Had she been in the war? Her nerves were getting stretched as she walked along the street, following detours while trying to ignore the soldiers that still lingered about the streets to aid and guard per their job. That was a sight she would never adjust to.

Red Square came up before her, and she was quite startled to see that the Kremlin was... gone. That... Had Vito told her of that? Had she missed that in the news somehow? It was true, she didn't observe the news at all, but still... You'd think that she would have known THAT at least! Well... What should she do now? A soldier came up to her and stopped her, causing her to gulp as she couldn't help but glance to the rifle that he held. "Excuse me miss, you can't be here. Let me see your papers."

Uh-oh. What did she do? "I'm sorry, I didn't know. I'm looking for my sister and I wasn't really sure where to start except for the Kremlin." Handing him her passport, she bit her lower lip, really worried about what would happen now. He looked over her papers and furrowed his brows, raising an eyebrow as he looked at her. "I see. What is her name Miss Beccera?" "Zinaida Tarasov." She answered, blinking twice as his eyebrow raised, glancing over her again. "I should have known... I'm afraid I cannot help you. Please leave the premesis. I hope you succeed." He said, watching as she walked away from Red Square until she was across the street, staring onward like a lost puppy. What... was she supposed to do now? Should she go to their old estate? Was it even still standing? Where there other people there now? Sighing heavily, the mixed, lost daughter of the Tarasov family looked about as she wondered where to go.

"Zinaida Tarasov."

Zina looked over, cocking her head to the side at the strange woman. She was Zinaida Tarasov. Perhaps she was looking for her. But why?

”This way,” her caretaker says, pulling her hand gently.

”But the lady…”

”We have a schedule to keep, remember? You and Berserker need to spend more time together.”

Ugh. She hated spending time with Berserker like that. Not the fun stuff like weapons testing or throwing cars, but boring stuff to make sure “they were connected.” Well, they were perfectly fine now…

Following along with the man for a few minutes, she waits until they walk through a crowd of people. Quickly pulling her hand out of his, she slips through the crowd and off the street, ignoring his shouts for her. Running back up the street, her pink eyes scan all the people walking about. Looking, searching…

”Hey, lady!” she shouts, running towards the woman, her white hair whipping through the wind. Grabbing her hand, she looks up at the woman. ”Hey, lady, you’re looking for me, right?” she asks excitedly. She seemed like a nice enough person, and only nice people know her name.

Tanya took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, pulling her hat down a bit further on her head as a breeze kicked up. Oh.... She didn't think this through enough at all! Since she couldn't find her sister, she might as well start to look for a place to stay. Though... As she looked back at the rubble in the distance, she took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. Would there even be any place for her to stay? And how long should she stay anyways? Her lips tightened as she straightened up, stuffing the piece of paper back into her pocket resolutely. She had to stay as long as it took! She would not back out of her mission now! She had come too far to. And... Turning towards where the train station had been, she sighed slightly as her mother came to mind, the snow blending with her matching hair as it drifted past and covered the landscape with fresh coats of it. She was also here to find out what had happened to the man that her mother had loved enough to commit such things with.

”Hey, lady!” A child's voice wavered through the air, and it did catch Tanya's attention, but she wasn't sure if it was directed towards her at all. After all, there were still plenty of people on the street-- Until she felt a small hand grab hers. Startled, she looked down and... stopped. Time seemed to slow as she looked down at the albino girl that looked a bit like herself who held her hand, beaming up at her with such excitement in her features. ”Hey, lady, you’re looking for me, right?” She... had found her. That had been surprisingly easy considering how difficult that guard had made it sound. She had found her, her little sister... She was right there, and she.. Tanya blinked rapidly for a second, taking a breath as if she had forgotten to. Right, she didn't know her at all... Why would their father mention her at all? She was a bastard child after all! "Y-yes... I am." She felt a smile slowly spread on her lips if not a bit tentatively, the whole situation sinking in as her heart began to race in her chest. Oooo, her nerves were firing up so much now!

Her violet eyes looked down at the young girl, looking over her face with a warmth she might not understand the source of. Oh... Right... Um.. How would she begin? "My name is Tanya. I need to speak with you alone somewhere. Is there somewhere you know of here that would be good for that? I'm afraid I'm new to this country and don't really know my way around." She asked sweetly, tilting her head slightly. She.... supposed that was as good a place to begin as any... It would be best to be alone right? In case she... freaked out or something? Oi... How would she react to this at all?!

”Nice to meet you, Tanya!” Zina curtsied politely, as she was taught to always do, before continuing on. After all, her new friend wanted to talk to her, and the cold winds and exposed ground was no place to have such a conversation. But where could they talk? Dark alleyways? Windowless vans? A stranger’s house?

… Wait, those were places she wasn’t supposed to talk to people. Looking around real quick, she noticed a nearby coffee shop that had the most delicious hot chocolate EVER. ”This way!” she says, grabbing Tanya’s hand and leading her across the street.

Looking at the menu for a few moments, she pulls Tanya to the back of the line. ”Don’t worry, drinks are on me!” she says, pulling a small wad of cash out of a pocket. She was never really sure why they were “emergency funds,” but they never seemed to get too angry when she bought herself something to drink. ”So, what brings you to Moscow?” she asks, looking up at Tanya expectantly.

Oh goodness... Her younger sister was so cute... And well-mannered. What was she saying, that was to be expected! She was the daughter of one of the noble families in Drachma! Or well... used to be... Father, are you alive and well somewhere? Bowing her head respectfully in answer to the delightful little curtsy, Tanya felt herself with the warmest smile upon her pale, peachy lips, the frigid air summoning a distinct red in her pale cheeks. Heh, she never had to worry about that back in sunny Havanna. Only thing she had to worry about there was sunburn. She just wasn't made for extreme weather, was she? How had Zinaida fared during her life? Oh... wait... The thought sobered her a bit as she had only heard whispers of what her sister had been up to over the years since the letters had stopped coming. An agent for the government, bound to a giant machine, experiments... wild things that she wasn't sure she really believed, much less wanted to believe.

But the young girl seemed to have made up her mind as she suddenly grabbed Tanya's hand and pulled her along with a bright, ”This way!” "Alright!" Allowing herself to get dragged along, she did her best to keep up with the twelve year-old with her luggage in tow. She had to admit she was rather amused at where they found themselves, looking up to the familiar Starbrooks sign above them, the smell of coffee drifting out as the door opened to allow them entrance. ”Don’t worry, drinks are on me!” The pair slid into the line, receiving only a couple of glances from the other patrons. Wow... did no one smile in Drachma? Not even a little? Maybe she wasn't being fair... they did just kinda have a war smash into their lives.... Though then she saw the giant wad of cash that her sister hand, and she almost jumped, a hand reaching immediately to push her hands down. Dear lord! Her hand stopped a few inches from Zinaida's hand, biting her lower lip as she forced them to hang at her sides once more. "Be careful who you show all that money too. There are many a desperate person in the world." She said as gently as she could, offering a smile to ease the advice. Here she was, having just met the young girl she had been so excited, and afraid, to meet all her life, and she was already acting like a parent.

”So, what brings you to Moscow?” Oh dear. Tanya was given pause to that, shifting her weight to her other foot as the line moved up another person, rolling her suitcase up next to them. "Well...." Her eyes glanced up to the menu as if it would offer some sort of aid in this situation (not that it did), before sliding back down to meet the red gaze of her sister. "I came to look for you." She began, pushing away the fears that bubbled inside her. "You see..." She slid her hat off of her head and took a small, reassuring breath. "My last name is also Tarasov. I'm your sister." It was a matter of her reaction at this point, Tanya bracing herself for a variety of responses. From an outcry of surprise, to one of disbelief, to even an almost subdued response as if the words didn't even sink in. Twelve year-old's could be unpredictable!

”Be careful who you show all that money too. There are many a desperate person in the world.”

Zina smiled nervously, putting the money away again. The lady was right. There were all sorts of dangerous people out there! Besides the imperial dogs of the resistance, the capitalist Cretans, and atrocious Amestrians, of course. Still, there were more pressing matters on her mind, like how slow this line was moving!

”Well.... I came to look for you.” Zina tilted her head slightly. That was pretty obvious, but… ”You see... My last name is also Tarasov. I'm your sister.”

”I have a sister?” she asks aloud, confused but smiling nonetheless. ”Mama and Papa never told me that.” She pondered on that for a moment, wondering if it had anything to do with that “floosy” Mama would bring up sometimes when she got mad. ”So, where’ve you been? Did Papa send you a letter? Do you know where he is?”

It was rather cute to see her sister smile nervously and listen to her, the money vanishing within a pocket. The fact she didn't react poorly was quite a relief. Tanya rarely had to deal with children when she was in Esparia since it wasn't like children would be running by the flower shop that often. At least, kids that were her age. The few that did come by were with their parents and so were soon gone. For what purpose would a child of twelve have coming into a flower store? That'd have to be a mature twelve year-old!

”I have a sister?” Mmmmmmhowasshegoingtoreact?! It was Tanya's turn to smile nervously now, nodding her head once at the rhetorical question. But she was smiling. Smiling was usually a good sign.... right? ”Mama and Papa never told me that.” Er... Right. No they wouldn't have. Especially not Zinaida's mother. Father probably wouldn't either since... "It's not exactly something that he'd really talk about..." She answered awkwardly, glancing to the people in front of them in line. It seemed like things were finally picking up a bit. ”So, where’ve you been? Did Papa send you a letter? Do you know where he is?”

It was here that Tanya's face grew a bit pained and well, sad. The floor was somehow comforting so she stared at it a moment before raising her violet eyes to rest upon her sister, a grimace creasing her pretty face. "I've been in Esparia with my mother. You see, she used to be a maid for the Tarasov family and... papa got to know her rather well. Probably too well for your mother's tastes..." That was as good an explanation for that as any right? She was just twelve... "He did send me letters. A letter with a present every year for my birthday. The reason I've wanted to come is because the letters stopped coming. I was worried about you and father so I saved up money from working and... well... Here I am now. I'm sorry that I can't give any answers about their disappearances. I just... wanted to find you first." She was sincere about that, even for her step-mother although the woman may very well loathe her existence. If she knew... would father have told her? Oh there was no point in speculation now, it wasn't like anyone would be able to answer that question. So she looked at her younger sister with a look caught between hopefulness and sadness, unsure of where they would go from there. She eh... She hadn't really thought past finding her sister to be honest...

[Archiving]