Winter Colds

Ksenia's steps were quick as she made her way into the tea shop, away from the snow storm that was about to begin. The witch took her leather gloves off and rubbed her hands together as chose a table, not paying attention to those around her. The only thing she wanted at the moment was to get her nearly frozen fingers around a hot cup of tea. She nodded her head in thanks to the waiter who finally brought her the beverage and almost sighed in relief as she held the cup in her hands, welcoming its warmth. The Russian cold was something that she had gotten used over the past four years, she enjoyed it on most part, but sometimes she couldn't help but hope for a little more sun and a little less chill in the long winter months.

Ashleen burst into the store in a flurry of snow, and a scowls. Honestly, snow was pretty to look at but no one said how god damn cold it was when you went out in it.

Ash hated the cold.

Her blond hair caked in melting flakes, her skin rosy from the wind, she pulled off her gloves and looked around.

"So," she looked around the room, "Is tea the only drink a girl can get around here?"

Cause I can

Ksenia frowned slightly as a girl came to stand near her table. Wht couldn't people just keep to themselves. "Well this is a tea shop," she said simply before turning to look out the window. The storm was setting in, it would be a while until she got herself. She shook her head slightly as she relaxed back into her chair and took another sip of the steaming tea. It was nice to sit by herself like that, that was what she was used to and that is the way she liked it most of the time.

"It is?!" The girl asked with credible shock that anyone who didn't know any better would have thought she hadn't known until this moment, "Well that would explain a lot of things."

She gave a tinkling laugh, which wasn't completely carefree, before looking at the counter.

"Well when in Rome," she siad tiredly with an eye roll, "Or Russia... at least tea is warm."

"You're a new Durmstrang student?" Ksenia said after a few moments as she looked back over to he girl. she kept her voice and face emotionless as she took a sip if her tea, watching the girl.

Ash raised her eyebrow at the girl. Looking her over for a moment before inviting herself to sit down at her table, making herself at home.

"How could you tell?" she gave a slightly impish grin, "I would have thought I looked so Russian."

She took a sip of her tea and grimanced slightly, "I suppose it could have been worse."

"Old Durmstrang student?"

"I haven't seen you around here before," Ksenia answered simply before taking another sip of her tea. "And you have an accent."

"Oh yes, I have been here from the beginning of my education. I am Ksenia Sokol, Slushatel Prefect," she introduced herself. She leaned back slightly in her chair, glancing out of the window briefly. The storm was only getting worse.

Ash tilted her head, "Oo, an observant one; that's always good to note. Though I'm wounded that my accent is that noticable."

She made a little pout even though her eyes were twinkling. She knew she still had an accent, even if after years of being around Tre and other Russians in the Safe Houses, Russian accents had actually begun to slip into her english as well. She was still American, and actually proud of the fact that she could prove it.

She tilted her head. She'd heard that name somewhere before... something about... Tre? Or was it just the Mafia in general? She shook her head, letting the thought slide away.

"I've been in America since the begining of my education," she gave a little grin. "Ashleen D'Angelo, I believe I was told Hitrost, and I don't have any fancy titles. Well... that's not true... I've been called Wings in some parts, but, I think here I'll just go by Ash."

Ksenia couldn't help but chuckle slightly at that. "I am sure it won't be noticeable after you lived here for a little while," she said.

She smirked at the girl's expression, liking her for some reason. She was not one of those weaklings that just liked to bother people.

"Ashleen?" the Slushatel Prefect sat up a little straighter at that name. "The same Ashleen that is the partner of the sexist bastard Treshawn?" she couldn't help but frown at the girl a little bit. "And you have names to match as well," she muttered lightly.

Ash shrugged, "Either it will or it won't. I'll deal either way."

She frowned a bit at the girls words, but they helped her slowly place where she had heard the name before.

"Oh, you're the one," she murmured softly, looking the girl over slowly.

She took a sip of her tea to calm the completely rude remarks that came to her lips, and settled for one that was just slightly more flippant.

"Oh honey, if you're going to let Angel get to you, you're not in the right place - what did he do anyways to get such a title? Couldn't have been that bad. He usually has some mannors... Usually." A mischievious smirk grew on her features.

She took another sip of her tea, "Of course we do. We were like this don't you know." She held up two crossed fingers in a childish gesture.

Ksenia leaned forward a bit more at the girl's words. She was the first female apart from Katerina she had come across in the Mafia. She scowled slightly at the girl's words. "He is the one who insisted on treating me like an animal he needs to keep safe."

"Oh, he has manners most of the time. His particular ones annoy me," she said with another scowl as she took another sip of her tea.

SHe couldn't help but sigh. "I came to this place for protection. And I have no idea what is happening around me," she said truthfully to the other girl.

"Well, darling, that's because in our world you are," she shrugged and took a sip of her drink. "Fighting its only going to make it worse. He's being as kind as he knows how in the situation. If you tick him off even more..."

She shrugged.

"Whats so annoying about his mannors? Did he give you a gift? Compliment you?" She tilted her head and smile a bit at the girl. "You know there is a line between being strong and independant, and just being stuborn. Whether you cross it is up to you I guess, but..."

She took a sip of her drink and shook her head, "Don't try to understand it; leave if you can. Trust me. You may think you want it now but I know this life... no one should have to live it. No one should want to live it."

"You know," Ksenia said almost thoughtfully. "The more I look at it the more I realise that there is a difference between this world and the world of the Sicarius family," she said, thinking back on what her mother has told her when she was a child as well as the books she had read over the summer.

"That's exactly it," Ksenia nodded her head. "That is the only thing he does. You can never really have an interesting conversation with him. Half the time he is not even interested in what you are saying and will only present his arguments half -heartedly, not even willing to talk more about it and the other half when he won't like something I say he will just call me a bitch and say that he has almost every authority over me," she sated plainly.

"I am starting to think that there is no room for independence here," the Slushatel Prefect said before taking a sip of her drink.

"I can't leave," she almost sighed. "I've been hiding for more then four years. This is the only place I will be safe."

"He doesn't know you - you don't know him," Ash shrugged. "There's more to him, but... he'll probably never show you; you get business Tre, pure and simple. You either get polite business Tre, or I don't give a crap Tre but either way..." she shrugged. "Its the way our world works."

She snorted, "If you want independance you definitely came to the wrong place. I have one thing to say to you, and its the most important thing I want you to understand - whether they ever get your respect or not - you are always just a pawn in their game."

"Well then stay, but understand me, you are giving up more than you think you are."

Ksenia frowned slightly. "And what about personal relationships? How much are they affected?" she asked. She had a lot of questions and now that she was finally getting some answers things were becoming a little more clear. "There should be some good parts in all of this, shouldn't there?" she asked, looking at the other girl. "What can you actually do here?"

Ash shrugged, her face going rather blank at mentions of personal relationships, "It depends on who cares about the relationship. Some are of very little consequence to people - they could care less; if you kiss the wrong boy though..."

She shrugged.

"They'll let you think you have control over what you do - they're kind enough for that I suppose, but trust me. When they say jump you better say how high. Because no matter what, if its better for them, they will take everything from you... everything."

"Kiss the wrong boy?" Ksenia raised her eyebrow almost in amusement. "I have no intention of kissing any of those boys. Most of them do not even seem that appealing," she said before lifting her cup to her lips.

"I am not planning in fighting them," she admitted to the other witch. "What kind of things might they ask of me though?" she asked, curiously. It seemed like she had a million of questions and now that she had someone to answer them for her she was not going to stop. The Slushatel Prefect had barely met the girl sitting in front of her, yet she was quickly becoming one of her closest aquintances.

Ash gave a little smirk, "Yeah, I use to think that too; you never can tell though can you?"

She snorted and shook her head, her blonde har falling into her face and in her current mood it took her a while to even bother to push it out of the way, to look up at the girl.

"They could ask you anything really. I can't really say - depends on what you can do, or what they think you can do." She gave a small bitter laugh, "If you can't do what they ask? You better learn fast."

"I suppose you can't'" Ksenia said, her tone almost musing.

"How do you survive here? Were you born into this?" she asked the other girl, leaning forward slightly. The things that the Hitrost girl was describing were bleak to say the least, but she knew relatively well what she was getting herself into when she asked Lucifer for the vow. That option was much more to her liking than being married to Abraxas.

Ash just tilted her head and humed, as she nodded her head.

"Oh yes, and no," Ash shrugged, "I was born into it I suppose; but... I wasn't always going to end up...here."

She shrugged agian and played with her cup.

"I had other plans - until life decided to... screw up on me."

With a little lift of her shoulders, the girl flipped her hair over her shoulder and pushed the chair back.

"And speaking of other plans, I must be off; So long Newbie."

With a small smirk and a wave the young blonde disappeared into the snow.