Move Like You Stole It [Sera/Natalya]

[Deleted]

I MUST ADMIT, I FEEL LIKE A MONSTER

Slipping into people's houses wasn't exactly something Sera would call a difficult task. No, it really wasn't that hard as long as you were quick on your feet and you could stay silent without making a noise; lest you have to pretend you're a pet or a mouse of some sort that made the floorboards creak. Simple enough with some practice. Of course, sneaking into houses which were home to fellow lawless and were perhaps just a little bit paranoid of unwanted intruders, however, was an entirely different matter. They had trained themselves to be able to hear the slightest difference of weight on the floor, maybe good enough to be able to hear a pin drop. Sera wouldn't be surprised if there were some who could -- while some others were ignorant enough to not even bother. She was sure Natalya fell somewhere in the category of the former; although, she did certainly have keen enough senses in the first place, and she was rather wary. It kept Sera on her toes, and she liked the thrill, the excitement of possibly being caught by the other woman. She'd could potentially attempt to knife her if it were anyone else, though, she really had to be on her guard. She picked the lock with relative easy, having confirmed Natalya currently wasn't home; she preferred this method than diving through the window or using a back way. Why be subtly breaking into the house when you can go directly in right through the front? A personal preference, surely, but in the end, this was just another game of hers anyways. Closing the door quietly, she was satisfied when it didn't make any noise. It was just like Natalya to keep her doors silent. She took a moment to glance about and observe her surroundings in curiosity as to what sort of items the Belorussian might keep tucked away around her flat, but she didn't seem anything very interesting. Perhaps in her bedroom she would encounter something more entertaining to find out about her weapons dealer. Her room was not too hard to find, as the place wasn't the largest, but it was fun to wander through the home, regardless. She seemed to be quite tidy, and there was not a thing out of place. Expected of someone with Natalya's personality. The door was closed, and she twisted the doorknob to reveal its contents. This was a great deal of fun; Sera hoped she wouldn't be discovered too quickly.

WHY WON'T SOMEBODY COME AND SAVE ME FROM THIS

CODED BY ELECTRIC OF GS AND BTN

[Deleted]

some coincidences are deliberate

sera russo / ~580 words

Unawareness waltzed while Natalya was out.

She was always careful and meticulous when stepping out of her home, but not overly so - there weren't any traps or anything that, nor any overbearing systems of security. In all honesty, she worried more about her weapons than the house itself. Not that they were ever out in the open, anyway, for her collection had its own special place in the basement underground - but they were among the last things she would ever want to see out of place. They were always stashed and hidden well.

She just never expected that she would come home to unexpected company, or actually see anything stolen or out of place; so any such expectations and worries were gradually kept out of mind. Locking everything was sufficient enough. She hoped most people would know not to arrive unannounced. Even if the front door was quiet, her hearing was sharp.

As per usual, her treks were made on foot. Long walks were just about the most exercise she got on any uneventful day, and on this one in particular she was returning from having done a few errands. Nothing stood out of place about this routine, at least until Natalya noticed that her door wasn't locked.

That little detail struck her, and she wondered whether it was her own mistake. That would not be much like her, but it did have her on alert - there was already that trademark irritation pinching the woman's face by the time she stepped inside.

Any indication to her arrival was silenced, and she knew better than to try and call out. This could be absolutely nothing, and she did prefer that there weren't any minor nuisances she would have to put up with today. She shed the jacket she had worn in case of rain, hanging that on the rack beside her and brushing any static out of her hair.

From where she was standing, there did not seem to be any visible signs of intrusion. She inhaled quietly and proceeded forward, having barely any time to decide where she would go first before she began to hear noises. Short and muffled. It didn't sound distinctly familiar, but she was still set on tracking it down. If there was someone trying to find her darkest secrets around here, they weren't looking in the right place. Natalya didn't really care what others would find in her room.

Her fists balled and the hem of her dress swished as she came speed-walking down the one small corridor in her home. The door to the basement stood at the very end of it, closed and inconsequential compared to the open door of her bedroom. Halting to look in, her eyes landed on someone.

Oh.

The tension in Natalya went lax, though that did not go to say she was ready to accept that the Italian woman was sifting through her things. Not to mention having broken into her house first.

"Vhat is this?" she muttered, stepping inside. Her arms were crossed, but she didn't look intent on kicking Sera out. Dark eyes were keen on watching the woman wherever she was, in the middle of whatever struck her interest.

She figured most strangers would find her wardrobe the most interesting. There were a number of family pictures scattered on the walls and other surfaces, mostly containing her brother. Better hidden were things Natalya has held onto since childhood. 

CODED BY DUCKIE OF GS

[Deleted]

I MUST ADMIT, I FEEL LIKE A MONSTER

The door opened quietly, subtly announcing the arrival of its owner. Shit. She steadied her breathing to slow, deep breathes. Short and shallow ones only served to make her presence more noticeable. The way the floorboards creaked -- slowly, hesitating for only a moment before they were steady once more -- indicating Natalya was aware someone had broken into her house. The footsteps neared closer, padding along quietly, and Sera frowned. Had she really been that obvious? She had hoped that this would've lasted at least a while longer, but Natalya had always been a little bit of a party-pooper. Well, it was somewhat of her fault for not closing the door to appear more inconspicuous, as well as not making an attempt to hide herself before she was caught. But she felt lazy today, and if Natalya genuinely thought she was posing an actual threat (the mere proposition made her scoff; she could certainly be considered a threat, but not by the means Natalya was, ahem, searching for), then she would be knifed for sure. Besides, she didn't have a marked place to hide, as she hadn't scouted out the area. She hadn't had the time, and now it was too late. But since she was about to be caught, Sera might as well go out with a bang. She set down the few trinkets she had been shuffling around -- honestly, she had only had, like, two minutes to even peek -- and faced the doorway with a playful smile and raised her hands in surrender in an easy-going manner. She liked to chalk up the innocent facade in front of the Belorussian woman; it was fun to interact with her in such a manner, just to see her reactions. Disarming innocence versus Natalya's colder, blunt exterior -- oh yes, it was quite fun to rub the two together. "Vhat is this?" Natalya's arms were crossed as if she had observed a pet who had done something wrong, but wouldn't punish them on the basis they had only scuffed up the area a little because they wanted attention. "Oh, sweetheart! I didn't think you'd be home so soon," she offered with a coo, expression almost sheepish as she lowered her arms, "I thought I would tidy up the place some for you. You've been so busy lately, I thought I'd do something nice." Sera flounced over to her, unable to hide her grin now, and leaned forward to kiss her on both cheeks as a greeting. Push, push, push a little more, see how far Natalya would let this go before she stopped it... "Well, welcome home~."

WHY WON'T SOMEBODY COME AND SAVE ME FROM THIS

CODED BY ELECTRIC OF GS AND BTN

[Deleted]

some coincidences are deliberate

sera russo / 673 words

And so began Sera's turn to explain herself, however smoothly she chose to do it. "Oh, sweetheart! I didn't think you'd be home so soon," were the words Natalya heard first. She continued standing there at the entrance to her bedroom, her position unchanged, soaking in the sight of Sera with her hands raised. Her palms were empty and facing forward, but it wasn't difficult to imagine that they had just been itching with curious desire, running Italian fingers over things that did not belong to said Italian.

When those arms lowered, Natalya's eyes flitted to stare once more at Sera's face. False innocence radiated in the Belarusian's direction, but it was unlikely that she would consider believing it. Particularly, her gaze was tracking that smile upon Sera's face, watching as she resumed speaking: "I thought I would tidy up the place some for you. You've been so busy lately, I thought I'd do something nice."

The sound Natalya made was akin to a scoff. Her shoulders moved in a subtle gesture that hinted toward emotion - although her expression had remained stoic as it usually was, she found little reason to act overly cold toward Sera. They weren't in public and nobody was watching them, so if Sera decided to embarrass the woman like she usually saw fit to do, perhaps it wouldn't be as bad as usual. Even so, there was the entire fact that she had just broken in and decided to go trifling through Natalya's belongings. Of course, the blonde woman's mind had little intention of believing that the Italian was actually doing any cleaning, and she would make sure to let that be known.

"I am sure you fool plenty off idiots out there," Natalya muttered, only hoping that Sera hadn't truly believed she was being convincing. Discomposure flared with streaks of scarlet across the pale woman's cheeks, having been kissed and called a mushy pet name of all things. Sweetheart. Natalya did adore the idea of pet names, and that was solely because she once thought of plenty to use on her brother. Now that was more of a secret she kept stored behind her. Someone else using them on her, anyway, was more of a foreign feeling - whether or not Sera had said it mockingly. "Bot I am not vone off them. I know I do vell enoff cleanink this place on my own."

It was still strange for Natalya to think of how Sera went from being such an interested 'customer' to... this. Whatever higher relationship they had now. She was the only person Natalya knew to be so persistent like this. And, in light of that, she was probably the only one that the Belarusian would allow to do such a thing as scurry around her house and look through things, for it was noticeable that Natalya hadn't yet scolded her for it. Anyone else might have been thrown out by now. Preferably through the window, shattered glass accompanying them and all.

Her arms dropped from where they had been crossed, resting now by her sides. Aside from her accursed blushing, she hardly reacted to Sera's greeting gesture.

"Well, welcome home~."

Sera's cheery voice - whatever twisted form of cheery that was - continued to ring out. Natalya sharply inhaled to regain her composure. "Da. Thank you for the reminder that I might haff to start lockink op better."

To avoid another barrage of affection, Natalya turned and stepped back out into the corridor. She'd have to check her things later to see if anything was put out of place, since it still wasn't really a big deal. While thinking of what to say next, it occurred to her what little experience she had dealing with guests who did not visit for her weapons.

"Since I do not expect you are goink to leaff right avay, is there somthink else you vant vhile you are here?" Drinks were what normal people usually offered, right? ...Maybe in normal situations. She decided just to leave her question at that.

CODED BY DUCKIE OF GS

[Deleted]

I MUST ADMIT, I FEEL LIKE A MONSTER

There were quite a number of things Sera would do to elicit a reaction of any sort -- although most preferably embarrassment -- from people, but most particularly Natalya Arlovskaya. A woman of ice, one who was not moved so easily was enticing to the Italian. Perhaps it was the game of seeing how far she was willing to stretch before she snapped and broke like one of her hair bands; or maybe it was because she liked seeing her blush. It was such a rare occasion when Sera wasn't trying to redden her cheeks, and she was quite pleased to see it present now. The contrast of the red color spreading on such pale skin was absolutely beautiful in her opinion, and while she found it relatively attractive in most any case, she found it especially attractive when it came to Natalya, interestingly enough. Sera wasn't too phased by this; it was likely simple physical attraction at its finest. Relationships had never been a strong point for her, most likely since she was so busy running her mafia and dealing with certain lawless people -- it's not like she had time to go out and actually court someone. She wasn't entirely sure on her views of romance, but deep down she would be able to admit that she had a small piece of her longing for that type of loving relationship -- someone to say "I love you" and truly mean it, not just some random person she had found to fuck for the night. Out loud, however, she'd probably scoff at the mere suggestion of such a thing. Sera flirted, nor romanced. "Da. Thank you for the reminder that I might haff to start lockink op better." She watched Natalya return to the hallway, moving away. She followed after with a smirk. She wouldn't let her prey escape her clutches so easily. "Yeah, you might want to do something about that," she drawled, "my lock picking skills are pretty rusty, too. Might I suggest one of those electronic code-key locks? I hear they work wonders!" Well, that started off as half-sarcastic and ended with sounding like one of those poorly performed advertisements for a newly released product that never actually does what it's supposed to do. She had fallen so far. "Since I do not expect you are goink to leaff right avay, is there somthink else you vant vhile you are here?" Sera was admittedly pleased that Natalya had figured out the basics of her personality -- indeed, she had no plans to go anywhere else anytime soon. Normally, she would be irritated at the possibility that she would seem predictable; being predictable to any sort of law enforcement or fellow lawless who could use information against her was not favorable. Regardless, Natalya was someone she felt like she could trust -- strangely enough. It sounded ridiculous when Sera thought about it, and she thought about it a lot, Natalya wasn't even part of her mafia. She had no allegiance to Sera, and therefore made that a risky decision for the mafia boss to be having such feelings of affiliation for the other woman. Although a person to act often impulsively on said feelings, Sera retained some reasoning of logic. She was aware of the existence of certain boundaries, certain things she could and couldn't do that would have results of specific risks that may or may not be worth the time and effort. "Something else I want?" She pretended to ponder, putting her hand up to her chin. Then she smiled -- a genuine one this time -- and sauntered up to Natalya, pointing her finger at the other woman's chest. It was a lame and overused pick-up line, but the opportunity had presented itself -- and Sera wasn't one to turn such a chance down. "Well then... How about you?"

WHY WON'T SOMEBODY COME AND SAVE ME FROM THIS

CODED BY ELECTRIC OF GS AND BTN