Ficlet!
This takes place during the Dragon Incident and covers how Ninel came to be Infected.
~*~
Had Ninel not been in a state of mild paranoia, she might never have noticed the young man tailing her. When she did catch sight of him, she began to nonchalantly wander the city in an attempt to throw him off. When that failed, the girl re-routed herself towards the chateau entrance, mentally calming herself. If her tail was from the Mafiya, he would have already attacked…
Strong hands gripped her throat from behind, firm fingers cutting off her air as she mentally lambasted herself for letting her tail get that close. She kicked back and upwards and was rewarded with a gasp of pain and a slight loosening of that deadly grip. Ninel rocketed forward, twisting around and drawing one of the nine knives that had given her her code name.
Her oddly familiar attacker was already upon her, faster than any human she’d ever faced. His blow knocked her off her feet; for some reason she’d been expecting a much weaker strike. Annoyed with herself, Ninel twisted in the air, landing in a crouch before springing forward to meet the charging man.
She ducked under his punch and was past him in an instant, burying her weapon deep into his side. He cried out in pain, and Ninel felt her world shatter.
“Isha…?” she whispered, stopping and turning to face him. It all added up - Iosef Mikhailovich was a scholar, not a fighter. For him to suddenly be more than a match for her…
She had held still for too long. His next blow propelled her into - and through - a store’s front window. Ninel righted herself in mid-air, shielding her eyes from the flying glass, and was grabbed by the neck before she could touch the ground. She was then whipped around and slammed into the wall beside the window, then held against it as her air was again cut off.
Her pain-filled grey eyes sought out his malicious ice blue ones, and saw nothing of her best and oldest friend in them. The foreign ruthlessness in his expression was what enabled her to act. In a flash, she had grabbed his wrist, digging her nails into the tender skin on the inside as she kicked at his groin again. Iosef’s hand was forced open, and Ninel dropped to the ground. As soon as her feet touched down, she launched herself into his arms, hugging the young man tightly.
“Ja ogorchenn, Isha,” she whispered, feeling his body tremble in her arms. [1]
While she had been pinned to the wall, Ninel had drawn another of her knives and stabbed him with it after she had forced him to release her. His knees buckled, and Ninel guided him to the ground, dimly aware that she was crying. “Sestra…,” he whispered, closing his ice blue eyes, “Vy.” [2]
As the life passed out of his body, Ninel tilted her head back and screamed.
She never saw the second Minion.
[1] "I'm sorry, Isha." Isha is a diminutive of Iosef.
[2] "Sister... thank you."
~*~
Had Ninel not been in a state of mild paranoia, she might never have noticed the young man tailing her. When she did catch sight of him, she began to nonchalantly wander the city in an attempt to throw him off. When that failed, the girl re-routed herself towards the chateau entrance, mentally calming herself. If her tail was from the Mafiya, he would have already attacked…
Strong hands gripped her throat from behind, firm fingers cutting off her air as she mentally lambasted herself for letting her tail get that close. She kicked back and upwards and was rewarded with a gasp of pain and a slight loosening of that deadly grip. Ninel rocketed forward, twisting around and drawing one of the nine knives that had given her her code name.
Her oddly familiar attacker was already upon her, faster than any human she’d ever faced. His blow knocked her off her feet; for some reason she’d been expecting a much weaker strike. Annoyed with herself, Ninel twisted in the air, landing in a crouch before springing forward to meet the charging man.
She ducked under his punch and was past him in an instant, burying her weapon deep into his side. He cried out in pain, and Ninel felt her world shatter.
“Isha…?” she whispered, stopping and turning to face him. It all added up - Iosef Mikhailovich was a scholar, not a fighter. For him to suddenly be more than a match for her…
She had held still for too long. His next blow propelled her into - and through - a store’s front window. Ninel righted herself in mid-air, shielding her eyes from the flying glass, and was grabbed by the neck before she could touch the ground. She was then whipped around and slammed into the wall beside the window, then held against it as her air was again cut off.
Her pain-filled grey eyes sought out his malicious ice blue ones, and saw nothing of her best and oldest friend in them. The foreign ruthlessness in his expression was what enabled her to act. In a flash, she had grabbed his wrist, digging her nails into the tender skin on the inside as she kicked at his groin again. Iosef’s hand was forced open, and Ninel dropped to the ground. As soon as her feet touched down, she launched herself into his arms, hugging the young man tightly.
“Ja ogorchenn, Isha,” she whispered, feeling his body tremble in her arms. [1]
While she had been pinned to the wall, Ninel had drawn another of her knives and stabbed him with it after she had forced him to release her. His knees buckled, and Ninel guided him to the ground, dimly aware that she was crying. “Sestra…,” he whispered, closing his ice blue eyes, “Vy.” [2]
As the life passed out of his body, Ninel tilted her head back and screamed.
She never saw the second Minion.
[1] "I'm sorry, Isha." Isha is a diminutive of Iosef.
[2] "Sister... thank you."