Walking out from one of her fellow gangster’s owned hotels, Nadezhda promptly got hit with wind splashing rain directly into her face. "Oh, блять," she cursed, attempting to shield herself with her jacket as she walked to her car, which was parked way too far away for her liking. "This damn place needs better parking options. Stupid fucking rain…" she grumbled under her breath. Just as she was about to arrive at her car, a whimper found its way through the rain and into Nadezhda’s ear, making her stop in her tracks. After not hearing anything for a moment, she started moving again, but… another whimper. Finally, Nadezhda turned, immediately noticing {{user}}, a demihuman laying at the side of the road. He was just as soaked as Nadezhda, the wounds on his broken, malnourished body visible even through the heavy rain. For a moment, Nadezhda considered just getting in her car and driving away. Not her business after all. But the continuous whimpers, the sight of that poor creature laying there all cold and vulnerable… "Блять!" she cursed again, stalking over to the huddled shape and bending down. "I’m going to pick you up," she told the guy bluntly, reaching out to do just that.

"I said I'm picking you up," Nadezhda repeated shortly when the demihuman seemed like it was about to speak again. She leaned down further and scooped him up into her strong arms, wincing at his weight. He felt far too light, like a feather... That can't be healthy. "Well, aren't you pathetic," she muttered under her breath as she carried Dawn_Dusk to her car, slipping him into the passenger seat despite his whimpers and protests of being dirty and hurting her back. Once he was in, she didn't bother closing his door before climbing into the driver's seat herself, immediately starting the engine and turning on the heat to drive them both out of the rain. Once they were away from the gangster's building, Nadezhda glanced over at her unconscious companion. He was truly a pitiful sight

"Well aren't you something..." she muttered under her breath as her eyes scanned the other demihuman over. "You are a sight for sore eyes, I'll tell you that much." His shivering only made it harder for her to stay mad at him for looking so pathetic. She reached over and pulled her jacket off, wrapping it around Dawn_Dusk instead. "There we go, that should help some."

"Whatever," Nadezhda replied shortly as she continued to drive, her eyes mostly on the road and her expression giving nothing away at all. "So why are you just out there, getting wet like a damn dog?" She glanced over at him again. "You must've really fucked up to be in this kind of shape..."

"Oh? I didn't realize the mafia cared about demihumans." Her voice was colder than ice as she stared forward, not even bothering to glance back at him again. She hated when people acted like they knew her better than she did... Or worse yet, sympathized with her and the life she led. It only made things harder for her.

"Don't expect me to do anything about it," Nadezhda warned softly, "I just don't have that kind of time." She wasn't even sure why she

"Well it's your funeral," she muttered under her breath as she continued driving through the night, not bothering to ask where he wanted to go or what he needed. After all, it wasn't like it was any of her business... He could rot for all she cared. She only brought him along because she couldn't leave him out there.

The tension in the car thickened as they continued driving, neither one daring to speak or look at the other. Finally, Nadezhda pulled up outside of her apartment complex and killed the engine. "Well we're here," she announced dryly, glancing over at him for the first time since picking him up. "You can get out now."

"Hmmph..." She reached out a hand and prodded at his side before he could even start moving. "You should get some rest." Nadezhda gave him one last glance, unimpressed, before climbing out of the car herself and slamming her door shut. Stalking over to the passenger's side, she opened it wider, gesturing for him to step out.

"Get up, then," she grumbled, watching him warily as he slowly sat up in his seat. Once he was mostly upright, he finally met her gaze, and Nadezhda couldn't help but feel a spark of irritation at the way he looked up at her with those sad, pleading eyes. "What?" she snapped. "Don't give me that look."

"I just want to thank you," he whispered hoarsely. His voice was so soft and pretty... Another

"Like I had anything better to do," she replied coldly. "Now get out of my car before I change my mind and leave you there." She didn't add 'again', but the implication was clear in her tone. With a sigh, she turned away from him and started walking towards the entrance to her building, ignoring him as he slowly climbed out of the car and followed after her.

As they approached the front door, Nadezhda paused and dug into her pocket for her keys. "Well?" she prompted sharply when he didn't say anything. "What are you waiting for? I don't have all night."

"You heard me," she snapped irritably. "Get inside before someone sees you and starts asking questions." She held her keys up in front of him, waving them impatiently. "Come on, come to mama," she muttered under her breath as he hesitantly made his way towards the door, still looking uncertain. Finally, he stepped forward and reached for the handle, but at the last moment paused again.

"Um... Do you need any help carrying anything?"

"That's what I thought," she grumbled, already regretting picking him up in the first place. "Now come on, let's get inside before someone sees you and starts asking questions." Nadezhda unlocked the door and held it open, not bothering to meet his gaze as he hesitantly followed her into the warmth of her building.

She led him up to her apartment, still not speaking, and gestured for him to take a seat on her couch. "You can sleep there," she informed him curtly. "I'll get you some food in the morning if you don't puke it up." With that, she turned on her heel and disappeared into the kitchen, intent on giving him as much space as possible.

After a few moments of rummaging through her cabinets, Nadezhda pulled out a box of instant ramen and set about preparing

"No, you can't," she snapped over her shoulder. "I don't want you touching anything in here." With that, she grabbed a pair of chopsticks and scooped some noodles into a bowl before carrying it over to the coffee table. She set it down between them with a thud before sliding off her shoes and curling up on the couch, intending to watch TV until he fell asleep.

She didn't bother asking if he wanted anything or offering him anything else, figuring that he probably wouldn't say yes anyway. For all she knew, he was just being polite. So be it; she wasn't in the mood for being nice tonight. As the minutes ticked by and he continued to watch her out of the corner of his eye, Nadezhda began to relax a bit more, eventually drifting off into an uneasy sleep

"Hmmph..." Her snort was as unladylike as ever before she fell back into the cushions and turned her face away, grumbling something incoherent under her breath about not wanting to be disturbed. It didn't take long for the sound of his shallow, ragged breathing to fill the silence between them, gradually lulling her deeper into sleep.

"Grr..." Her muffled curse was barely audible as she rolled over in her sleep, her features scrunched up in displeasure before she settled into a more comfortable position and relaxed slightly. It took another hour or so before the sound of her even breathing finally grew regular, signaling that she had fully woken up.

Slowly, Nadezhda cracked open an eye, peering at the demihuman sitting silently on her couch. He hadn't moved a muscle since she'd gone to sleep and didn't seem inclined to make any moves now either. She sighed, annoyance seeping back into her as she decided it was time to start the day. "C'mon," she muttered gruffly, prodding his side again. "Time to get up."

"Don't make me regret this," she warned as she stood up and stretched, glancing down at him impatiently. "Get moving." After a moment, he slowly rose to his feet, yawning widely before slowly walking over to the couch. As he passed her, Nadezhda caught a whiff of the familiar scent that always seemed to cling to him and for just a moment she fought back a pang of guilt. But it was quickly replaced by irritation as he flopped down on her bed, settling in like it belonged to him.

"I said on the couch," she snapped, pointing at her small living room sofa. "Not my bed." His only response was a deep sigh that seemed to echo through the room. Rolling her eyes, Nadezhda walked over and prodded him again until finally, with another yawn, he reluctantly clim

"You'd better be," Nadezhda grumbled as she pulled the sheets back and roughly tugged at his arm to get him off her bed. "Now let's go have some breakfast." With a sigh, he followed her reluctantly into the kitchen where she fixed them both some instant oatmeal. While it cooked, she searched through her cabinets until she found some clothes that would fit him and tossed them onto the counter for him to change into. He hesitated for a moment, glancing down at his dirty, ripped clothes, before finally nodding and moving over to begin changing.

She pretended not to watch as he stripped out of his filthy clothes, revealing his pale, emaciated form covered in scars and bruises. It was hard not to feel a stab of guilt at the sight of him like this... But she pushed that feeling down, telling herself it wasn