The First Age

She tried not to look his way while he was busy with the call. Instead, Zoya perused the items on his desk, then let her gaze shift around the office. There were a couple of officers at their desks, looking worse for wear. It wasn’t until she heard him stand up that she turned back to face him and put the cup back down. Oslov wasn’t pressing charges? Now that was good news… but why? Did it really matter? She’d just give the pictures to Otto and let him deal with the rest of this mess.

It felt good to have the cuffs off of her wrist. She rotated her wrist a little before turning her attention back to Ivan as he continued to speak. When he mentioned needing to erase her pictures Zoya felt some of her initial irritation rise within her. Then, to her surprise, he continued on with absolute brilliance. He was right, of course, the images had already been sent off to the cloud. In all the ‘excitement’ she had almost forgotten.

“Now that’s a shame, but if you must, I suppose there isn’t anything I can do about that.”
She offered quick grin and a small shrug then stood up. “Thanks, but I think I’ll just go ahead and make my call, after you return my wallet.”


Once able, Zoya stepped off to the side for a bit of privacy before she made her call. She waited impatiently until a sleepy voice answered.
“Really? You are sleep? After… Otto… you need to come get me. No, I got arrested. Yeah, I’m at the station… what do you mean no?!”
Her voice rose for a moment, then, as she noticed one of the officers looking her way turned back down to a whisper. “Otto you little coward, you know very well how I got into this mess.”
She practically growled at him through gritted teeth. “Why don’t you grow a pair and… Otto… Otto?”


That cowardly little… she couldn’t even finish that sentence without wanting to wrap her hands around his neck. He was too scared to go to the police station. With a sigh, she put her wallet away and straightened her shoulders. That meant she would have to walk home.

Hoping Sarkozy hadn't overheard much of that conversation, she did her best to avoid any lengthy conversation. Zoya simply waved once in his direction and turned to make her way out the doors. As she passed the desk officer, the brunette couldn't resist a saucy wink and a little smirk.

Once outside her face took on a whole different expression. Shock. It was cold, colder than when they had first made it there. To make matters worse, it was beginning to snow. She adjusted her jacket, pulling up the collar and trying to bury her chin in its warmth. It was going to be a long walk.


Edited by Zoya Bocharov, Jun 12 2014, 04:17 PM.

As he expected, Zoya's expression darkened when he informed her about removing the pictures. And then, just as quickly, her eyes lit up as she understood his meaning and a quick grin broke across her face. For the first time she didn't seem saucy or snarky or even pouty. She really was pretty. And then he couldn't help but return the smile as she fake-commiserated about 'losing' those pictures.

To his offer of a ride, she responded “Thanks, but I think I’ll just go ahead and make my call, after you return my wallet.”
He hoped she got a ride. It was cold out there. The sky had been overcast all night, with heavy oppressive clouds, the kind that seemed thick on the bottom, ready to drop. It was going to snow, if it hadn't started already. But she was already off in some corner on the phone. He shrugged and went back to getting his things. He could leave right then and there but he wanted to see what she was going to do. It was late too.

She hung up, waved at him and then walked out. He only saw the back of her head, but he did see the Desk Officer roll eyes and then those same eyes follow her out. Ivan definitely could appreciate that. She is hot. No question. And then laughed. Yeah, she's hot. And she knows it too. He shook his head. Still, she was something.

He spoke with a couple guys for a moment and then made his way out. The night was cold, but had the dense feel about it, as if the air were compressed, the fat snow flakes floating down in bunches. His hair immediate was crystalled. He walked to his car and got in, started the thing up, and pulled out.

For some reason, he drove more slowly out of the lot onto the street. It wasn't just the compacted mix of fresh and old snow and ice. Something else. Maybe a block or two down the road he saw her walking. He shook his head. Stubborn to the end. She'd rather walk in the snow late at night than accept a ride.

He sighed and drove in her direction, slowing down when parallel with her. Rolling down the window he looked at her for a moment, then said, "So....you're going to walk home in this?"
He offered her a smile. "You sure you don't want a lift home?"



Edited by Ivan Sarkozy, Jun 12 2014, 08:10 PM.

To tell the truth, she was a little nervous. The streets were lit well enough, but there were things she really didn’t want to have to deal with, including getting mugged. She walked at a brisk pace, hands in her coat pockets, trying to ignore the snowflakes that kept getting caught on her lashes. My nose is probably red...she thought as a car or two made its way past her.

Zoya hadn’t gotten more than a few blocks away from the station when she heard another vehicle approach. This one, however, clearly slowed down as it came nearer. For an instant, her entire being became alert. She didn’t stop, thinking that it was safest for her to continue walking and try to ignore whoever that was, but then the driver spoke.

He startled her, and as she turned her face to look at Ivan, Zoya stopped. “What…”


Hero cop strikes again.

She looked up and down at both sides of the street and frowned. It would be utterly ridiculous to ignore his offer now. After he stopped, she stepped closer to the car and bent down just enough to better see him inside. He smiled at her, and in her gratitude, a small smile of her own formed.

“That was before the snow. Now? Now I think I’ll take you up on that offer.”
For an instant she was glad that aside from the two of them, the street was momentarily deserted, and that he was still driving about in the cop car. There was no need for anyone to misconstrue the situation. She also didn’t think that anybody would believe a hooker would be brazen enough to strut her stuff so close to the precinct. She would have also very much liked to believe that she didn't look like a hooker.“How about I ride up front this time? Hmm?”


Not waiting for an answer, she opened the door and slid in the front seat. “I think I’ve seen enough of your back seat for one night.”

She seemed startled when he'd spoken to her. But she came to the car window and leaned down. He gave her a friendly smile and for a wonder, got one in return. Her face half-lit by the street lights, shadows and luminescence playing across it as she shifted and smiled; hair sparkling with snow-flake dew; she looked utterly beautiful. Just....something. His smile lingered.

She spoke, answering his question as to whether she'd walk home in this snow. “That was before the snow. Now? Now I think I’ll take you up on that offer.”
Again, he was impressed by her. From everything he'd seen of her, she was independent and assertive, completely unapologetic and unyielding. She had broken into that building, after all, in order to help animals that she felt needed it. She was tough. But she wasn't needlessly stubborn. She didn't reject help when it was offered.

But.......she was still herself. Her snarky nature couldn't hide. “How about I ride up front this time? Hmm?”
She didn't wait for an answer. Not that he'd have made her sit in the back if course. But she had to make sure all the same. She was funny. Such a brat, he thought, but not in a bad way. Yeah, Vanya liked her. She jumped in the passenger seat and slammed the door. And then, “I think I’ve seen enough of your back seat for one night.”
And there it was. He laughed at both the reference to her earlier ride as well as the innuendo.

"Yeah, I guess I should buy you breakfast since you enjoyed your time in the back seat."
He gave her a grin and winked at her. Pulling away, he asked, "So where can I take you?"



Edited by Ivan Sarkozy, Jun 13 2014, 10:27 AM.

She buckled her seatbelt and chuckled. “My, you sure move fast, officer Sarkozy. Besides, I wouldn’t say I enjoyed it.”
Now that he didn’t have her in handcuffs, she actually found the man more agreeable. In fact, she was almost sure she liked his smile.

He has nice eyes too. And… and recognizing what path her thoughts were taking she turned her face away from his and looked on at the road.

After telling him the district and name of her street, Zoya gave him a bit of a sheepish look. “I hope it’s not too far out of your way.”
The area where she lived wasn’t on the affluent part of town, but it wasn’t too bad either. She’d moved in to the apartment with a couple of her friends after graduation and with the three of them the rent was manageable. Her only complain was the fact that they all shared one bathroom, but considering the place was a relatively short distance from the river, Zoya couldn’t really complain.

She loved the river. She couldn’t see herself living too far away from it. Unfortunately, that meant her home was not exactly very close to them at the moment. “Thank you for this. My ride was indisposed.”
The coward.

She laughed at his little joke. It was dumb anyway. And maybe- just maybe- it had also been an invitation. At least a little bit. No matter. She did smile at him in a way that did get his blood racing. Then she looked out the window.

She gave the location of her apartment and then said with a sheepish grin, “I hope it’s not too far out of your way. Thank you for this. My ride was indisposed.”


He wondered if her ride was a boyfriend. I hope not. To her he smiled and said, "It's not a problem. That's a pretty fair distance to walk at 1 in the morning in the snow. I'm glad you let me give you a ride."


For a moment there was silence. Now that the tension was gone, he started to feel a bit unsure. But he decided to not let the quiet go too long. It would only make things awkward. And even if he said something dumb, he could play it off as making fun of himself.

"That's not a bad place to live, down by the river."
He thought about those times growing up when his family would take a special trip to go down to the river and spend a Sunday afternoon. Mother would pack a lunch of meatballs, cold okroshka soup, pirozhkis stuffed with beef or eggs. They'd run around and follow the river, throwing rocks and just having a great time. He loved it. "I used to spend a lot of time down there myself. My family used to take my brother and sister and me down there pretty regularly. The paths along the river are a lot of fun."
He paused, thinking back to all of that. He needed to call his parents. He missed them. "Those were good times,"
he said quietly. Then he looked at her. "Do you get down there often?"



Edited by Ivan Sarkozy, Jun 14 2014, 08:40 AM.

After their first little exchange, the ride was pretty quiet. It didn’t bother her. Perhaps she should have felt uncomfortable, being with a virtual stranger that could carry her off to who knew where, but she wasn’t. When Ivan spoke up again, describing the time spent with his family by the river, Zoya turned her face to look at him. Apparently, they had a bit in common.

“As often as I can manage,”
she began to answer his question and turned to look back out the window. “If I’m not swimming at the pool I’m out there running. There is something about the river… I don’t know. I guess it reminds me of home. I’m from Bronnitsy, and my family used to spend a lot of time at the river. I would go back, but I think I can help more from here.”
Now what had prompted her to say all that?

She looked at him for a moment, listening, and then she answered. Athletic. Out-doorsey. The idea of her at the pool him think of her in a bathing suit. It was a good image. She probably knows what I am thinking. he thought to himself. She's definitely hot. And she knows it. He smiled to himself. "Bronnitsy, huh? I've never been up there. Sounds nice."


He was quiet for a moment, thinking about what else she said. It seemed like they had a good rapport and he didn't want to blow it. Didn't want her to look at him with suspicion or something. But..."So, if you don't mind my asking. What are you trying to do here in Moscow? Is it related to what happened tonight?"



Edited by Ivan Sarkozy, Jun 14 2014, 03:08 PM.

“Tonight? Not really.”
She was about to tell him that she’d simply been talked into visiting Oslov Corp, that would tell him for a fact she had not been alone. Suspecting there were others was not the same and knowing there were others. Even if the charges were dropped, she had no intention of letting him know about the other three. “Can’t say I regret it, however.”


She gave the sort of look that made her point clear. She may not be the sort to go sabotaging testing labs every night, but she had no moral qualms about having done so; especially since she did find something. “Bronnitsy is charming, there is plenty to do there. I came for school, majored in Environmental Science and just stayed. I figured that working from here I could do the most good. Ever heard of the Center for Nature Conservation? I work for them. Even us dangerous criminals need some sort of a honest living.”


“But,”
she continued on after a moment, “tell me something, do you always work when you are supposed to be off duty, officer Sarkozy? Surely you had better things to do than arrest concerned citizens.”
Zoya smirked as she finished her question and arched a brow at the man before looking back at the street. The snow continued to come down and a few cars drove past them in the opposite direction. Most people in that area were probably being sensible and staying at home.
Edited by Zoya Bocharov, Jun 14 2014, 04:15 PM.

As he expected, she was vague about the night's activities. She still viewed him as a cop. Which, in truth, he was. He never really felt off-duty. It was how he was raised. Even when he'd felt like his father's work had seemed fruitless, it wasn't because he didn't share his father's drive. He'd just been afraid of not making a difference, that his work would be fruitless. But he'd learned that wasn't the case. Most definitely

Since he'd learned of the power and his own abilities- since Ascendancy had taken him into his tutelage and shown him the fundamentals, as well as the promise of more important responsibilities in the future in the CCD- well, Ivan felt like all of it was part of his assignment. It was his beat. To an extent. He was still a man who liked to enjoy life. He still wanted more in his life. His father had had it, after all.

“Can’t say I regret it, however.”
He laughed at her. She was funny. She didn't give an inch. She went on to tell why she was there in Moscow and her work. "Even us dangerous criminals need some sort of a honest living.”


He laughed. "Hah! yeah, I can't imagine freeing rabbits pays all that well."


Then she decided to question him. “But, tell me something, do you always work when you are supposed to be off duty, officer Sarkozy? Surely you had better things to do than arrest concerned citizens.”


He grinned at her. "First of all, it's Ivan, ok? As you pointed out, I am off duty. As to why I responded?....Honestly, I'm not sure. I had dropped my partner off and was on my way home. I wasn't far from the Oslov building when the call went out."
He frowned. It really wasn't procedure to go alone. "I don't know. I just felt like I should go."


He shrugged as he looked at her, unsure, and gave her a lopsided grin. "That probably didn't make sense. Anyway. I am glad it turned out to be nothing big."
He amended his words. "Well, except for the big bad bratty criminal that I did catch."
He winked at her. "At least it worked out, though. And I got to talk to a pretty girl today without her being in handcuffs. That's always nice."


A big grin that time.


Edited by Ivan Sarkozy, Jun 14 2014, 07:53 PM.