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om_main2014-11-21 02:21 pm
om_colossus) wrote in om_main2014-11-21 02:21 pm
Piotr and Nico, backdated to 10/18/2014
Piotr and Nico meet in the gardens. Awkwardness ensues.
With his things settled into his new room, and the day not quite over yet, Piotr decided to go explore the mansion's grounds. It'd help him get over the jetlag to try and stay awake a little longer. Plus, being in motion would help him think (read: brood) about all the other developments that he'd been hit with recently. The whole transcontinental move to a secret mutant academy thing he was slowly getting able to handle. The whole his sister is here and hates him stuff? Not so much.
Technically, Piotr was exploring the grounds. But given the pensive expression on his face he wasn't exactly paying a lot of attention to what he saw. The big man was walking through the mansion's expansive back yard with his shoulders hunched and his hands jammed firmly into the pockets of his grey slacks, looking like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders.
Rounding one of the outer edges of the hedge maze, Piotr was brought up short when he realized he wasn't alone anymore. With a touch of embarrassment he straightened his posture and tried to wipe away the thoughtful frown. Not that he managed to do it well, or quickly enough to completely hide the expression. Ironically, Piotr's tendency to be awkward around strangers helped, replacing his pensive look with a crooked, slightly bashful half smile. "Err....hello." He said by way of awkward greeting.
Nico looked up from where he was gardening (read: pulling the shit out of the hedge) to be met with a giant guy he didn't recognize. He was a little surprised he hadn't noticed him approaching, but then again the maze was way taller than him and he was a little stuck in his thoughts. Yana's sibling revelation brought up the topic of his own all over again. Should Nico try to reach out and meet this new sister? "Uh...hi."
Well, this was awkward. But Piotr was in a new place, and was determined to make contacts. He was going to be living here for some time, and it wouldn't be any easier if he didn't know anyone. Fortunately, Piotr was pretty damn stubborn, stubborn enough to overcome even his own tendency to be tongue tied around strangers. So he stepped forward and somewhat stiffly extended a hand. It was an awkward, overly formal gesture, but manners where what Piotr had to fall back on.
"Hello." (Inwardly Piotr cursed himself, he'd only just said that!) "I am Piotr Rasputin, I am a newly arrived student. It is a pleasure to meet you."
Nico blinked in surprise because, well, Russian accent new guy? That meant he was probably Yana's brother. Which probably meant Nico shouldn't be talking to him right now. Still, curiosity and protectiveness kept him in place. "I'm Nico...you're from Russia?"
Piotr let his hand drop. Judging by the touch of extra warmth in his smile, that wasn't a problem though. The ice had been broken, and that meant that Piotr felt a lot less awkward about the whole situation. Apparently he hadn't totally embarrassed himself with his introduction.
"Yes. I arrived yesterday. I am still trying to find where everything is.This school is so big!" It seemed Piotr had totally missed the surprise in Nico's response.
"Yeah, it's really-" And then Nico shook his head because you know what, fuck this. He wasn't going to pretend like he didn't know who this guy was. "Look, I gotta be honest with you--Yana told me about you."
You'd think a big, solid guy like Piotr would be hard to faze. But the mere mention of Yana's name brought him up short like he'd been slapped and wiped that awkward smile off his face. That little surprise was both unexpected and unwelcome. Given how they'd parted, he didn't expect that Yana had anything good to say about him.
For a long moment, Piotr was silent as he chewed on that nugget of information. What was he meant to do now? Well, when in doubt Piotr always took the direct route. "What did she tell you about me?" Despite the directness of the question and the way he looked at Nico head on, there was definitely a hint of nerves around Piotr right now. It was pretty obvious that the answer was a big deal to him.
Despite the fact that Piotr had a good couple of heads on him, Nico stood his ground and crossed his arms. "She was...upset. You're her brother from back in Russia, before she got adopted here." Yeah, okay, so maybe Yana was going to be pissed at Nico because she told him that she could stand her own ground but...well, Nico was never really one to think to far ahead as far as consequences go.
Piotr had asked Nico for what Yana had said about him. But the important part of Nico's answer was the bit about Yana herself. Piotr's brow furrowed and he looked more concerned than before. "Illyana was adopted?" Clearly, he hadn't known that. "So she has an American family?" Suddenly things started to ( or at least seemed to) make more sense. She'd denied that he was her brother because she had another, American family. Piotr, Mikhail, their parents, Yana had replaced them all. Likely with a family that had been able to take better care of her. Normally Piotr wouldn't be at all comfortable discussing family matters with a stranger, but right now he had to know more. "Are you her friend? Do you know her well?" Judging by the undertone of eagerness under Piotr's worried tone of voice, it was pretty obvious that he didn't.
Nico wanted to facepalm (a term he had actually learned from Yana) so hard right now. He probably shouldn't be telling Piotr stuff about Yana that he didn't already know, huh? Resolved to protect his friend, Nico answered back with a slight frown, "Yeah, I'm her friend." He figured that that was the important question to answer. He didn't necessarily consider Jake Yana's family, and he guessed he knew Yana pretty well.
That clipped answer didn't really tell Piotr anything, except that it gave him the tantalizing hint that Nico might know more. The whole reserve around strangers thing was entirely abandoned at this point. "Please, I have not seen my sister in years. Could you tell me about her? Please?" It wasn't a demand so much as a plea. Piotr didn't care if that made him seem desperate, given that he was. Especially after the way Yana had run out on him, anything that might tell him more about her was more important than his pride.
"Look...that kind of stuff, you need to ask Yana, if she'll tell you," Nico explained with a shrug. Yeah, he felt a little bad, because this guy seemed desperate, but Nico knew Yana had been burned by a sibling before. "Just...I gotta know, you won't hurt her, okay?" And yeah, that was a demand Nico probably didn't have the authority to be giving, but whatever.
That clearly wasn't the answer Piotr had been hoping for, But he accepted it with a jerky nod of his head. It was the second part of it that captured his attention more anyway. If anything, Piotr looked shocked by the suggestion that he'd hurt Yana, and his answer came like a shot out of a gun. At least at first. "I would never...." He started, but then stopped abruptly. Because he already had, hadn't he? Yana had clearly been upset when she disappeared (the fact that she teleported out at least explained what had happened when they were kids, not that that was a comfort now). Piotr faltered, but rallied quickly. "She is my sister. All I want is to be her brother." He said that as if it was a simple thing, completely ignoring all the baggage that came with that term.
"But what if she doesn't want you to be that for now?" Nico questioned immediately. Because he could see how going from zero to siblings might give you whiplash.
That was a question Piotr had never wanted to face, one that had never come up in his imaginings of being reunited with his sister. But one that had been knocking about his head for the last day. So at least he could answer, though it came with a heavy, unhappy sigh. "Then I will wait," he concluded heavily. What he definitely wasn't going to do though was give up, something heavily implied in the firmness of his answer.
"Okay, good, I didn't want to have to--wait, what's your power?" Nico asked, because if he was making threats, it'd probably be good to know.
The sudden change of topic made Piotr blink and his head cocked to the side in a moment of pure puzzlement. What did his power have to do with anything? Still, it hardly even occurred to him to not answer the question. The only issue was that that definitely taxed the limits of his English. "I can change." He explained, frowning in dissatisfaction when he concluded that that wasn't good enough. Well, it was easier to show rather than tell. "Like this." he said as he gained another head in height and his pale skin was replaced by gleaming, organic steel.
Well then, Nico gulped, that sure made him seem...inadequate. He didn't think Bob would be much help against a metal man. "Wow, that's cool," Nico commented truthfully, adding it to his MutantMagic deck. He bet Cal would be all over this guy soon.
Piotr held the metal form for a moment and then shifted back. Fortunately his clothes were widely cut and fairly elastic, so they'd survived the transformation. "You have a power too, yes?" he prompted with a certain amount of curiosity. It wasn't the big topic they were discussing, but in a way that was a relief.
"Yep...I can raise the dead," Nico said immediately. He wasn't sure whether or not that'd make the big guy like him more or less, but it was one of the only ways he knew to describe it.
"Oh!" The exclamation was more startled than horrified. That wasn't something Piotr had ever considered possible, even for a mutant. The surprise and the fact that it didn't sound so bad in abstraction meant that Piotr was more curious than repelled by the idea. "That is...." he faltered there, mostly because he wasn't sure what the right word was. "Impressive." Was the one that Piotr finally settled on. "I have not met many mutants. There must be many impressive abilities at this school."
"Yeah, there are," Nico agreed, because, although he was still wary, this guy seemed pretty genuine. Despite being a hulking silver dude that could probably squash Nico like a bug.
It was an interesting thought, one that diverted Piotr briefly. he hadn't really thought about what it meant to be in a place where everybody was a mutant. It certainly meant he didn't have to hide his gifts anymore. And that he needed to ask himself what the other kids could do. With one kid being of particular significance. "And my sister is a teleporter, yes?" Though it was phrased as a question, Piotr seemed pretty certain of the conclusion. He'd seen her in action. And it explained why she had disappeared back when they were younger.
"Yana can teleport, yes," Nico nodded. He still felt a little uncomfortable with Piotr calling Yana his sister but, whatever. It was biologically true at least.
If there was discomfort to be noticed, then Piotr certainly didn't seem to notice it. While it was just confirmation of something he already knew, at this point he was happy for anything further he'd learned. "Thank you." He said with a curt nod of gratitude. With that out of the way, Piotr was curious about something else though. "Why did you want to know about my powers?" It had been an odd change of topic. And Piotr was the kind of person who would remember things like that, if given the chance.
So I'd know what I'm up against in case I have to kick your ass. "No reason," Nico shrugged.
Piotr didn't quite buy that, and his brow furrowed. But then, he didn't know how things worked around here. Maybe asking about powers counted as snall talk. And getting a read on a stranger speaking his second language was a bit beyond him. So Piotr shrugged off the moment of suspicion and smiled awkwardly again.
There was a pause as Piotr tried to figure out what to say next. He was terrible at this stuff and knew it. His eyes flicked to the side, to where Nico had been gardening. There was something he understood better than socializing, and maybe a way to break the tension. "Do you need help?" He offered openly and pointed at the hedge.
Nico blinked in surprise because, well, was this guy for real? If anything, Nico's actions were destroying the pristine maze. "Uh...well, if you want to?" He eventually muttered, because how else were you supposed to respond to someone wanting to help you kick the shit out of a bush?
Piotr's offer to help had been based on him thinking that Nico was doing actual gardening. When he realized his mistake, Piotr's level of awkward in a conversation that he was already not super comfortable with reached a critical mass. "Maybe I will go." He said with a taut but genuine smile. "It was good to meet you." He nodded once more and then turned to beat a retreat.
Now, normally Nico wouldn't feel bad because fuck 'em, but this was Yana's brother. He was probably going to have to hear about him some more later. "It's gonna be awkward, for a while," Nico admitted to Piotr's back. "And the language switch makes it even harder."
Piotr was honestly surprised when Nico spoke again. That combined with the blunt way Nico hit the unspoken nail on the head drew a short bark of half-stifled laughter from the big man. He half turned and smiled over his shoulder at Nico. Still an awkward expression, but with some genuine mirth. "Yes, that is true." He agreed drily. "But thank you. If you and Yana are friends then I hope we can...get along." Judging by the brief frown that crossed Piotr's face, the pause was more him not being sure of his vocab than for any sort of dramatic effect.
Nico shrugged and half nodded. After all, so long as Piotr didn't get in his way or hurt Yana or whatever, there was no reason for them not to get along. "Ciao Piotr," Nico dismissed him, crinkling his nose at the unpleasant combination of sounds resulting from the two very different languages.
"Do svidaniya" Piotr made it easy for himself and just replied in his native language. With another quick nod he turned and walked off to leave Nico with his 'gardening'.
With his things settled into his new room, and the day not quite over yet, Piotr decided to go explore the mansion's grounds. It'd help him get over the jetlag to try and stay awake a little longer. Plus, being in motion would help him think (read: brood) about all the other developments that he'd been hit with recently. The whole transcontinental move to a secret mutant academy thing he was slowly getting able to handle. The whole his sister is here and hates him stuff? Not so much.
Technically, Piotr was exploring the grounds. But given the pensive expression on his face he wasn't exactly paying a lot of attention to what he saw. The big man was walking through the mansion's expansive back yard with his shoulders hunched and his hands jammed firmly into the pockets of his grey slacks, looking like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders.
Rounding one of the outer edges of the hedge maze, Piotr was brought up short when he realized he wasn't alone anymore. With a touch of embarrassment he straightened his posture and tried to wipe away the thoughtful frown. Not that he managed to do it well, or quickly enough to completely hide the expression. Ironically, Piotr's tendency to be awkward around strangers helped, replacing his pensive look with a crooked, slightly bashful half smile. "Err....hello." He said by way of awkward greeting.
Nico looked up from where he was gardening (read: pulling the shit out of the hedge) to be met with a giant guy he didn't recognize. He was a little surprised he hadn't noticed him approaching, but then again the maze was way taller than him and he was a little stuck in his thoughts. Yana's sibling revelation brought up the topic of his own all over again. Should Nico try to reach out and meet this new sister? "Uh...hi."
Well, this was awkward. But Piotr was in a new place, and was determined to make contacts. He was going to be living here for some time, and it wouldn't be any easier if he didn't know anyone. Fortunately, Piotr was pretty damn stubborn, stubborn enough to overcome even his own tendency to be tongue tied around strangers. So he stepped forward and somewhat stiffly extended a hand. It was an awkward, overly formal gesture, but manners where what Piotr had to fall back on.
"Hello." (Inwardly Piotr cursed himself, he'd only just said that!) "I am Piotr Rasputin, I am a newly arrived student. It is a pleasure to meet you."
Nico blinked in surprise because, well, Russian accent new guy? That meant he was probably Yana's brother. Which probably meant Nico shouldn't be talking to him right now. Still, curiosity and protectiveness kept him in place. "I'm Nico...you're from Russia?"
Piotr let his hand drop. Judging by the touch of extra warmth in his smile, that wasn't a problem though. The ice had been broken, and that meant that Piotr felt a lot less awkward about the whole situation. Apparently he hadn't totally embarrassed himself with his introduction.
"Yes. I arrived yesterday. I am still trying to find where everything is.This school is so big!" It seemed Piotr had totally missed the surprise in Nico's response.
"Yeah, it's really-" And then Nico shook his head because you know what, fuck this. He wasn't going to pretend like he didn't know who this guy was. "Look, I gotta be honest with you--Yana told me about you."
You'd think a big, solid guy like Piotr would be hard to faze. But the mere mention of Yana's name brought him up short like he'd been slapped and wiped that awkward smile off his face. That little surprise was both unexpected and unwelcome. Given how they'd parted, he didn't expect that Yana had anything good to say about him.
For a long moment, Piotr was silent as he chewed on that nugget of information. What was he meant to do now? Well, when in doubt Piotr always took the direct route. "What did she tell you about me?" Despite the directness of the question and the way he looked at Nico head on, there was definitely a hint of nerves around Piotr right now. It was pretty obvious that the answer was a big deal to him.
Despite the fact that Piotr had a good couple of heads on him, Nico stood his ground and crossed his arms. "She was...upset. You're her brother from back in Russia, before she got adopted here." Yeah, okay, so maybe Yana was going to be pissed at Nico because she told him that she could stand her own ground but...well, Nico was never really one to think to far ahead as far as consequences go.
Piotr had asked Nico for what Yana had said about him. But the important part of Nico's answer was the bit about Yana herself. Piotr's brow furrowed and he looked more concerned than before. "Illyana was adopted?" Clearly, he hadn't known that. "So she has an American family?" Suddenly things started to ( or at least seemed to) make more sense. She'd denied that he was her brother because she had another, American family. Piotr, Mikhail, their parents, Yana had replaced them all. Likely with a family that had been able to take better care of her. Normally Piotr wouldn't be at all comfortable discussing family matters with a stranger, but right now he had to know more. "Are you her friend? Do you know her well?" Judging by the undertone of eagerness under Piotr's worried tone of voice, it was pretty obvious that he didn't.
Nico wanted to facepalm (a term he had actually learned from Yana) so hard right now. He probably shouldn't be telling Piotr stuff about Yana that he didn't already know, huh? Resolved to protect his friend, Nico answered back with a slight frown, "Yeah, I'm her friend." He figured that that was the important question to answer. He didn't necessarily consider Jake Yana's family, and he guessed he knew Yana pretty well.
That clipped answer didn't really tell Piotr anything, except that it gave him the tantalizing hint that Nico might know more. The whole reserve around strangers thing was entirely abandoned at this point. "Please, I have not seen my sister in years. Could you tell me about her? Please?" It wasn't a demand so much as a plea. Piotr didn't care if that made him seem desperate, given that he was. Especially after the way Yana had run out on him, anything that might tell him more about her was more important than his pride.
"Look...that kind of stuff, you need to ask Yana, if she'll tell you," Nico explained with a shrug. Yeah, he felt a little bad, because this guy seemed desperate, but Nico knew Yana had been burned by a sibling before. "Just...I gotta know, you won't hurt her, okay?" And yeah, that was a demand Nico probably didn't have the authority to be giving, but whatever.
That clearly wasn't the answer Piotr had been hoping for, But he accepted it with a jerky nod of his head. It was the second part of it that captured his attention more anyway. If anything, Piotr looked shocked by the suggestion that he'd hurt Yana, and his answer came like a shot out of a gun. At least at first. "I would never...." He started, but then stopped abruptly. Because he already had, hadn't he? Yana had clearly been upset when she disappeared (the fact that she teleported out at least explained what had happened when they were kids, not that that was a comfort now). Piotr faltered, but rallied quickly. "She is my sister. All I want is to be her brother." He said that as if it was a simple thing, completely ignoring all the baggage that came with that term.
"But what if she doesn't want you to be that for now?" Nico questioned immediately. Because he could see how going from zero to siblings might give you whiplash.
That was a question Piotr had never wanted to face, one that had never come up in his imaginings of being reunited with his sister. But one that had been knocking about his head for the last day. So at least he could answer, though it came with a heavy, unhappy sigh. "Then I will wait," he concluded heavily. What he definitely wasn't going to do though was give up, something heavily implied in the firmness of his answer.
"Okay, good, I didn't want to have to--wait, what's your power?" Nico asked, because if he was making threats, it'd probably be good to know.
The sudden change of topic made Piotr blink and his head cocked to the side in a moment of pure puzzlement. What did his power have to do with anything? Still, it hardly even occurred to him to not answer the question. The only issue was that that definitely taxed the limits of his English. "I can change." He explained, frowning in dissatisfaction when he concluded that that wasn't good enough. Well, it was easier to show rather than tell. "Like this." he said as he gained another head in height and his pale skin was replaced by gleaming, organic steel.
Well then, Nico gulped, that sure made him seem...inadequate. He didn't think Bob would be much help against a metal man. "Wow, that's cool," Nico commented truthfully, adding it to his MutantMagic deck. He bet Cal would be all over this guy soon.
Piotr held the metal form for a moment and then shifted back. Fortunately his clothes were widely cut and fairly elastic, so they'd survived the transformation. "You have a power too, yes?" he prompted with a certain amount of curiosity. It wasn't the big topic they were discussing, but in a way that was a relief.
"Yep...I can raise the dead," Nico said immediately. He wasn't sure whether or not that'd make the big guy like him more or less, but it was one of the only ways he knew to describe it.
"Oh!" The exclamation was more startled than horrified. That wasn't something Piotr had ever considered possible, even for a mutant. The surprise and the fact that it didn't sound so bad in abstraction meant that Piotr was more curious than repelled by the idea. "That is...." he faltered there, mostly because he wasn't sure what the right word was. "Impressive." Was the one that Piotr finally settled on. "I have not met many mutants. There must be many impressive abilities at this school."
"Yeah, there are," Nico agreed, because, although he was still wary, this guy seemed pretty genuine. Despite being a hulking silver dude that could probably squash Nico like a bug.
It was an interesting thought, one that diverted Piotr briefly. he hadn't really thought about what it meant to be in a place where everybody was a mutant. It certainly meant he didn't have to hide his gifts anymore. And that he needed to ask himself what the other kids could do. With one kid being of particular significance. "And my sister is a teleporter, yes?" Though it was phrased as a question, Piotr seemed pretty certain of the conclusion. He'd seen her in action. And it explained why she had disappeared back when they were younger.
"Yana can teleport, yes," Nico nodded. He still felt a little uncomfortable with Piotr calling Yana his sister but, whatever. It was biologically true at least.
If there was discomfort to be noticed, then Piotr certainly didn't seem to notice it. While it was just confirmation of something he already knew, at this point he was happy for anything further he'd learned. "Thank you." He said with a curt nod of gratitude. With that out of the way, Piotr was curious about something else though. "Why did you want to know about my powers?" It had been an odd change of topic. And Piotr was the kind of person who would remember things like that, if given the chance.
So I'd know what I'm up against in case I have to kick your ass. "No reason," Nico shrugged.
Piotr didn't quite buy that, and his brow furrowed. But then, he didn't know how things worked around here. Maybe asking about powers counted as snall talk. And getting a read on a stranger speaking his second language was a bit beyond him. So Piotr shrugged off the moment of suspicion and smiled awkwardly again.
There was a pause as Piotr tried to figure out what to say next. He was terrible at this stuff and knew it. His eyes flicked to the side, to where Nico had been gardening. There was something he understood better than socializing, and maybe a way to break the tension. "Do you need help?" He offered openly and pointed at the hedge.
Nico blinked in surprise because, well, was this guy for real? If anything, Nico's actions were destroying the pristine maze. "Uh...well, if you want to?" He eventually muttered, because how else were you supposed to respond to someone wanting to help you kick the shit out of a bush?
Piotr's offer to help had been based on him thinking that Nico was doing actual gardening. When he realized his mistake, Piotr's level of awkward in a conversation that he was already not super comfortable with reached a critical mass. "Maybe I will go." He said with a taut but genuine smile. "It was good to meet you." He nodded once more and then turned to beat a retreat.
Now, normally Nico wouldn't feel bad because fuck 'em, but this was Yana's brother. He was probably going to have to hear about him some more later. "It's gonna be awkward, for a while," Nico admitted to Piotr's back. "And the language switch makes it even harder."
Piotr was honestly surprised when Nico spoke again. That combined with the blunt way Nico hit the unspoken nail on the head drew a short bark of half-stifled laughter from the big man. He half turned and smiled over his shoulder at Nico. Still an awkward expression, but with some genuine mirth. "Yes, that is true." He agreed drily. "But thank you. If you and Yana are friends then I hope we can...get along." Judging by the brief frown that crossed Piotr's face, the pause was more him not being sure of his vocab than for any sort of dramatic effect.
Nico shrugged and half nodded. After all, so long as Piotr didn't get in his way or hurt Yana or whatever, there was no reason for them not to get along. "Ciao Piotr," Nico dismissed him, crinkling his nose at the unpleasant combination of sounds resulting from the two very different languages.
"Do svidaniya" Piotr made it easy for himself and just replied in his native language. With another quick nod he turned and walked off to leave Nico with his 'gardening'.