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“They are your sisters so I’m sure they’re not nearly as scary to you.” Anastasia mumbled, taking a sip from her wine glass before looking back up at Krishna who clearly seemed to be the most harmless out of the entire clan. “But really—you can’t tell me that with those looks your sisters give to everyone, they don’t get into stick situations more often than not?” At Krishna’s words—she found herself shaking her head, “that has to be a lie. I mean look at you—you seem to be such a sweetheart,” Anastasia was being a little more open with compliments tonight but with someone like him, it was easy. He made her feel more at ease than she did around any of the other family members she apparently worked for. “Hey now—I’m definitely not a workaholic, so I’m okay.” She enjoyed her work quite a bit, but she wouldn’t go that far. “That is very true—I like that idea.” She listened as he told her about how the policy for vacation time in Sweden was so different. “Yeah—that’s probably not something the American government would ever adapt, but it’s a nice whimsical thought for sure. Tell me, where would you go if you had three whole months of vacation time?”

Krishna only smiled. Kiran not as much (to him anyway), Krishna had a lot of memories from childhood that spoke volumes about how scary Jhanvi could be when she wanted. She often took the role of a mother for him when his birth mother was too busy to bother, and because of that her scolding was rather effective. Still, he could never say a bad thing about her out loud. “ For as many sticky situations that those looks get them in, it gets them out of twice as much. My sisters are very pretty -- you of all people, I’m sure, understand what it’s like...” The moment it left his mouth, Krishna froze up. Was that a compliment or an insult? He surely didn’t mean it as the latter -- Anastasia was obviously pretty and had to have known it -- Krishna feared that it sounded like he was insinuating something , which was why he was soon stammering. “ Not that ... I mean not that I think you would use your looks to get out of things, it was just a... An example.” He corrected, hoping it would get him off the hook.  After a generous gulp of water and a gap to swallow that gave him time to think and time for the topic of conversation to flow into something else, Krishna let out a huff of air. “ That’s a tricky one...” He paused. “ Home, maybe? To India... It’s been a while -- I’d like to connect with it again. Maybe see some other parts of Asia as well: Japan, South Korean, Shanghai... Try all the food, experience to culture.” He nodded. “ Or maybe backpack around Europe. It probably sounds boring to most people, but could you image? Rome, France, Germany... All the historical building, beautiful architecture, churches, museums, vineyards... I don’t even know if three months would be enough time to take it all in, try all the food and see everything there is.”

Sofia was unswayed by the apology, that she would note she had all but forced from the man. Who didn’t apologise when they ran into somebody? She was really beginning to doubt that any of the Yashvardhans had any idea about behaving in the real world. Those cold eyes didn’t soften, instead looking Krishna up and down before humming reluctantly. She offered no apology back or any other sign that his had been accepted. The next reaction was one of frustration, rolling her eyes as though the question was the stupidest thing he could have asked. In many ways it was. “Well I suppose that answers my question,” She crossed her arms over, irritated that a member of the council hadn’t been informed at what was very clearly council business. “The body. In the river,” It was still said as though it should have been obvious, as though it was his fault for not knowing. Apparently she couldn’t help but snidely add, “It’s good to know that everybody is taking this so seriously.” She had flown home from a family trip that had been meant to help her forget about the problems she left in Kingston, convinced it was a matter of upmost emergency, and the other families hadn’t even bothered to let their members know.

His thick lashes batting in his usual state of confusion, Krishna wondered what she could have been talking about. He’d spent most of his flight drifting in his mind, the movie playing having gone unwatched for the most part and his phone off until they landed as he debated his life and choices in his mind. “Why wou--” He got out before she spoke again, prompting him to close his mouth as he was sure that leaving it hanging would make him look like a carp on land and that Sofia already had a negative impression of him. The news soon dropped on him and Krishna froze up, though this time it wasn’t out of fear of the woman before him. As if a switch was flipped inside him, Krishna’s shoulders became square, his face turning from it’s puppy-like innocent expression to a serious one. “ A body..” He echoed more than question. “ Has it been identified yet?” It was a question he could find out from someone else, but he wanted to know the details now, even if it meant hold up the Mayor’s wife. He had a fear that it could be someone he knew or that the person who committed it was drawing a line in the sand. There were too many reasons to worry to make him patient.

“I do, but my family doesn’t see things the same way. And I couldn’t live my life without them.” Emery said softly. Just because she wasn’t comfortable in this world didn’t mean the people she loved shared the same view. Being normal would mean losing her family in a way, if only by proximity. She wasn’t willing to give anything up in regards to them, and because of that, ideas about leaving and trying to be normal again were fleeting at best. “So, I just have to make the best of a situation I don’t love.” Emery said with a sad smile before he went on about more  things he imagined. She nodded, placing a hand on his arm for comfort before stopping their forward progress. “You don’t have to apologize for venting to me. I’ve talked your ear off a good number of times over the last few years. “Let’s go then, right now.” Emery said, her own grin becoming a little lighter as she leaned closer to Krishna. “We can be back by tomorrow, but let’s just get away for the night. We both sound like we need it.” Emery offered, too happy to abandon Kingston for a while.

“I know it sounds mad, but who cares?” Emery took her hand off Krishna and running it through her chocolate locks with a smile. “We’ll go to whatever Broadway show is going on and then go from there.” Emery was trying to think of something to do on the fly, but it wasn’t like they wouldn’t have a car or train ride to think it over. “What do you say? Willing to be a little crazy with me?” Emery asked with a sparkle in her lighter hues.

Listening to her, she got it. Emery understood what it was like to put personal feelings aside for family, which in a sense, made Krishna feel less alone. Sure, he had his sisters, whom he loved and adored, but as thankful as he was for it, Krishna knew that it wasn’t the same. They didn’t have blood on their hands -- Emery didn’t as far as he knew, but Krishna was fully aware of what her brother’s were capable of. It was strangely comforting to see a sister who could still love and support her brothers knowing the wrong they did. As well as make him feel understood, Emery gave Krishna hope that his sister’s wouldn’t look at him as a criminal and a monster for the acts he committed. Maybe they’d even understand that he did it for them. “Yeah...” was all he could muster in response. About to thank her for listening, Emery caught Krishna by surprise. “ What? Really?” He half chuckled, assuming she was joking.

A touch on the thick side, Krishna had to take a moment for what Emery was proposing to sink in. After it did, he laughed. “ But we can’t....” He began to say before stopping himself. Sure, he was supposed to be on a task here, and he had other things of somewhat significance to get to, but even though it was hardly sneaking aboard a pirate ship, what Emery suggested sounded like a much needed and desired adventure. One without risk and guilt. “ Really? Right now? Just take off and do whatever we want?” He had to clarify before a smile slowly crept it’s way onto his face. “ Alright.... Yeah, you’re on.” He grinned wide as he took her hand and began tugging her gently towards the door as if someone would pop out of nowhere and stop them. “ Let’s get crazy.”

“You don’t need to apologize Krishna,” she told him softly, knowing how terrible he probably felt but he hated that he was going through something like this. But even now—as he was hurting—his thought was on her and she hated it. “Stop,” she gave him some more of the water. “Rest your voice, I’m sorry for asking so many questions.” Jhanvi sighed quietly before taking the glass of water back from him when he finished. She knew how tough it was doing what Krish did, even if he liked to downplay it every single time. The truth was—she knew it was dangerous and she’d often had talks with their father to get Krish a partner who was more equipped to deal with these things, or to take him off the actual physicality aspect of the job. But of course their father liked to push the kids to their limits; Jhanvi only wondered how much more any of them would take before collapsing in someone worse. She knew he was trying to curb her worries about the actual piece of art, but truly—as bad as a loss it would be to them, it was trivial compared to her brother being hurt like this. “I honestly—don’t even care right now.” She whispered before cupping his cheeks and wiping her little brother’s tears. “What else can I do to help? Do you want to lay down? The guest room is ready to go if you need your privacy,” she whispered before moving back, allowing her brother to decide what he wanted to do. If she was being honest with herself, she knew she was lucky he’d chosen to come here—at least this way she could take care of him and make sure nothing worse happened to him.

“My voice didn’t get hit. “ He joked with a small smile. He knew what Jhanvi meant, but making jokes was better than facing the current reality of his situation. Krishna loved life and loved living it to the fullest in his free time, but the darker parks pushed their was through ever so often to remind him how fleeting it all was. “ It’s an occupational hazard. What can we do, right?” He bitterly said with as much of a shrug as he could muster. He once again, could have said something, but what would it have done besides make Jhanvi feel worse than she already did? She was going through enough and Krishna chose to look brave in front of is sister rather than weak.  “ I’ll fix it. Promise.” He muttered before shifting himself to a sitting position. WIth some strain, Krishna reversed himself and moved his head to lay in his older sister’s lap, a grunt of pain softly huffed out as he did, but he pushed through it. “ Bas... thodee der ke lie is tarah rakhana chaahate hain. jaisa mainne kiya jab main chhota tha...” He paused to think back on the simplier time. “ Hum... I just always felt safe.” 

Rosalie padded down her stairs sporting a laugh as she shook her head. It wasn’t the most unreasonable conclusion to come to that they’d slept together, but given her relationship with Kiran and Jhanvi, Rosalie didn’t intend on getting involved with either of their brothers. Aside from that,  Krishna had nearly been as intoxicated as she was, and she wouldn’t put him in such a position either. The girl thanked her employees for breakfast before sending them off to their respective places so they’d be alone in the small breakfast nook. Rosalie poured herself a cup of coffee into the china before adding a bit of creamer and stirred it around. When she was satisfied with the color, the girl brought to hot drink up to her lips and sighed at the heat. She was thankful for it, and when Krishna came bounding down the stairs she allowed him to help himself without offering to do so herself. He seemed intent on doing it for himself, and Rosalie wasn’t in the mood for arguing. “Don’t be. It’s not like I can’t afford another one if the stain doesn’t come out.” She murmured, spearing another blueberry with her fork before popping the fruit into her mouth. Chewing on the morsel, Rosalie nodded as he greeted her properly. “You don’t have to mention it. I’d like to think you might have done the same for me had roles been reversed.” Her brow lifted as he asked her to keep his presence in her home to herself. “I won’t go telling your sisters or my brothers about you staying the night. If they happen to ask me though, I won’t lie to them.” She offered.

Kiran being the quintessential popular girl that she was, had a lot of friends. Unlike most brothers, Krishna prided himself on not bedding any of those friends. His brother would tease him in private for not being the master romancer that he was, but Krishna stuck to his guns as a hopeless romantic, and hopeless romantics just didn’t do one night stands. Of course it wasn’t a poor reflection of Rosalie, who was both poised and lovely in her own right -- even the head-in-the-clouds Krishna could see that -- but he still had his principals. Blowing then sipping, the bitterness of the coffee was a much needed smack to the face as he was still reeling from the over-consumption he indulged it. Nothing the spread of fruit that Rosalie was partaking of, Krishna decided that putting something other than harsh coffee on his stomach was a good idea, timidly and tentatively,as is waiting for some sort of non-verbal go-ahead, took a piece of fruit and slowly eased it into his mouth.  “Of course I would!” He exclaimed with his hand hovering in front of his mouth to hid his half masticated food that all of no one wanted to see this  early in the morning -- or ever. “ I would never leave you or anyone -- friend or not -- in that kind of situation where you could have been injured or something... Please don’t think that I’m not really really thankful...” Krishna stammered over his words as he felt the heat creep up his neck and cheeks. “ B-but you ...You could just not... I mean...  I mean why would they -- why would they ask?” The panic was probably obvious in his voice, but Krisha couldn’t help but wonder if someone had seen them the previous night and was assuming the worst. “You could just not tell them, right? I mean they wont ask something like that specifically so y-you could just like...pretend you came home and went to sleep and I was also asleep but in a different place...in a different bed. Just... far, far away, right?”

At his gasp, she found herself chuckling quietly, reaching for her glass of wine and taking a sip. “Okay not completely harmless, but I mean some of the other members of your family—they look like they’d try to eat me alive and I have absolutely no idea why.” She confessed to him with a polite smile on her face. She knew from conversations she’d heard around that this was a general consensus and so she didn’t feel as if she was overstepping some line by admitting it to Krishna. “Enemies huh? Like who?” Except she knew very well he wasn’t about to divulge that type of information to her and wasn’t even surprised when he deflected the topic and began talking about finding a hobby. “I mean—yeah? That could be good for you?” Although Anastasia couldn’t really talk given how much of a homebody she was herself. “Big vacation? With my job? Being on call for certain people kind of hinders my plans for any holidays,” the intention in her words was clear and while she didn’t blame Krishna for it—he still came from that same world. “I wish I could say there was, but nope—just me and my thoughts which to be fair—is sometimes even too much for me.” Why was she divulging such thoughts to someone like Krish who she didn’t even know—she couldn’t tell you but the thing was—the man in front of her did give off the vibe of someone she could trust, she just hoped she wouldn’t learn to regret it.

“It’s all for show -- they’re not nearly as scary as they seem. “ A lie, but one Krishna wasn’t fully aware he was telling. In his mind his family wasn’t perfect all the time, and did their fair share or wrong moreso than other people, but sugar-coated it some time ago as it ‘just being part of the Kingston lifestyle’ and let his mind insist that no one was really capable of hurting anyone. Were there ever a rational thought in his mind that he didn’t ignore and lock away, Krishna might have told Anastasia that she was right to be afraid.  “The same enimies everyone has.” Krishna shrugged. : Try as I might, I can’t see to get everyone to like me. Some people just take one look at you and decide they don’t like you and want to make your life hell.” Others, he thought to himself, are mad that you stole from them.  Krishna wasn’t about to get into his paranoid fear that he was on w watch list somewhere or was in the top ten Most Wanted just rounding it out after the current most prolific serial killer, whoever that was. Rather than make himself look as paranoid as he actually was, he let to topic shift and compartmentalized the negative again. “ Well, yeah. I mean it’s hard to find the time but we all need to take it every once in a while to keep ourselves sane. I keep telling my sister the same thing but she’s a workaholic too.” He chuckled, making the same assumption of Anastasia.  His face turning a bit more serious, he knew what she meant and shifted in his seat, unease making his posture stiffen. “ Well, all work and no play, you know? It’s still important to get away when you can. Self care and all that. Did you know that in Sweden they give you three months of vacation time a year or something like that?” He recalled, probably incorrectly, to change the subject again.

Jaxon didn’t really know how he’d expected Krishna to behave. Of course, he’d heard many things about the man, but he always tried to keep a fairly unbiased view until looking into them himself. The less clouded his judgement was, the more sound Jaxon considered it to be. This was no different, and if anything, he’d be more careful than with other people. It wasn’t like him to go digging beyond what was necessary, but something about the Yashvardhan family after that stunt at Holi had left him feeling a bit uneasy. He wanted reassurance that they weren’t going to scale up their attacks to anything more. “We’re just built differently. It’s nothing to be ashamed of to want to retire.” He shrugged. Jaxon was just too much of a busy body for his own damn good. He wouldn’t stop trying to work until he either physically couldn’t or dropped dead. “True, and I am. I wouldn’t have signed on for this if I didn’t want to give it my all. With a job like this, you can’t go in half ass. It’ll get either you or your boss killed. Don’t know about you, but I’d rather Ben and I both stay in the world of the living for a while longer.” He said with a soft smirk. “What do you do?” He had an idea about the other’s position in the business, but there weren’t details. He knew what he needed to know, but he wondered if Krishna would give him any more insight. 

It was strange... For all the times he was told he should put himself out there more (and all the times he ignored it) Krishna didn’t find talking about himself so bad. He was a shy and humble man, this was true, but without reason to assume there was an ulterior motive, Krishna just found Jaxon’s line of questioning as pleasant, as if the man had just taken a genuine interest in him. “ Well it’s not a job to take lightly, that much I’m sure of, so you should give yourself more credit where it’s due and all that. I mean, I get that everyone is different, but there’s still more people who’d like days off than days on. You’re a true workaholic, I guess.” Krishna chuckled. Nodding in agreement, Krishna was about to verbalize his thoughts in some pleasantries when they pause he  gave allowed the topic to be turned on him. Suddenly he was remembering why he didn’t like talking about himself. Every lie he had to tell, big or small, tasted bitter on his tongue and lingered longer in his mind that Krishna would have liked. “ Oh...  Nothing business related.” He began, dancing around it like he always did when asked this particular question. “ I’m just a lowly artist, you know? Kind of the black sheep in the family. I never really took to the whole nine-to-five office life thing so I just get by on my other skills...”

“Hardly,” she teased, though she didn’t mind handling the socializing aspect. Whether her schmoozing and slandering could be considered socializing or not was luckily not up for debate. She knew that was her strength and despite being upfront with her thoughts, the years had taught her how to frame that to garner the affections of like minded people. In her mind, when she imagined her sister she saw her at the hotel, powerful and commanding. When she imagined her brother, she saw him in his studio, paint splattered across his clothes as much as his canvas. And amid that, she knew her position would be amid the parties, smiling and networking. Whether that was an agreeable division of labor or not, didn’t really matter to Kiran. “Don’t sell yourself short, Krish. With a little liquid courage, you can be quite the conversationalist.” She figured it was just that he wasn’t necessarily as outspoken as either her or Jhanvi, a little late to emerge from his shell. After all, others perhaps wouldn’t see how much he teased her or how they got into shenanigans and petty competitions with each other. She likely appeared childish but Krish always seemed more mature, more reserved. So it was just a matter of coming out of his shell since he still had the Yashvardhan charm. All things she did’t precisely explicate to him lest he begin to hold that compliment against her. “Do you? Do you really? Because I dropped by totally unannounced and all I see you getting busy with is your paintbrush. I feel like I’m doing you a service by forcing you out of your cave.” Surely it wasn’t that bad, but she actually didn’t know precisely what was going on in his personal life. “Enlighten me Krish, what do you do when you go out? And more importantly, with who?”  

Arriving at the mall, she dared to actually pull into the parking lot, continuing to play with her brother’s head as he turned on the dramatics for a second time that day. It seemed he really had picked up only the bad habits from her. Letting him ramble on about being his best friend, she gave a shrug. Even if someone else having that position was out of the question, her bond with her siblings being the closest, Kiran humored his antics. “What can I say? There are many people vying for my affections. You’ll have to do more than eat my vegetables to become my best friend. Maybe for example, help me buy a few things before class?” She was driving around the parking lot, letting it sink it where they had arrived. The plan was to soon drive out of the parking lot as well, but maybe in the process, there were some things she’d be able to gain from her brother. Like lunch was on her but coffee on him. Or a IOU for any request in the future. 

The long dramatic gasp nearly emptied his lungs, but to Krishna it was more than worth it when he got to mess around with Kiran because of it. “ I am offended beyond reason! I am an artist, what i do takes time and dedication and delicate, nimble brushstrokes which you just cannot be brutish about. I have to spend time on them otherwise what can of art would I make?” He dramatically made excuses when his arguments had no weight to them, but more than that Krishna just didn’t have a real answer for her -- not one she would enjoy hearing, anyway. He tsked at her while smiling, unable to help himself even when trying to play a lame prank. Being around Kiran just boosted his energy. 

It was all fine and good until he mention of buying her things made Krishna straighten up,. Brown hues widen as he looks around the car park, realizing where they were and letting out a childish grown before stomping his foot. “ Kiran! Seriously? You said we were --” His tantrum was mild but his displeasure was loud. Krishna was, at the end of the day, a typical dude who didn’t put much stock in shopping and knew that it was mostly for her either way. The fact that he hadn’t paid attention annoyed him, making Krishna slump down in his seat even more. The hard part knowing that when the argument came, he would not win against his sister’s pout. Still, he frowned. “ Kiran you promised. You know I hate it here and you said !! Ugh.” Yanking off his seat belt, Krish unlocked the door, pushed it open, and with one leg out asserted that. “ You get half and hour and I am not buying myself new clothes. And if you start doing the fashion show thing I’m getting pretzels without you.”

How exactly had she been so unlucky that not only had her family trip been cut short - she might want to focus more on the tragedy that brought her back when asked - but Sofia had somehow been unfortunate enough to run into a Yashvardhan at the airport. “Most people opt for sorry,” She corrected, not looking at Krishna but rather choosing to focus on the small case of luggage that hadn’t been touched during the near tumble, “But I know that manners aren’t really your strong suit.” The younger man might have been too drunk to remember their argument at the Holi party, but she certainly wasn’t. It almost felt like a different lifetime, before the incident that had somehow rocked her entire life and shaken the foundations of what she thought she had known. She was readjusting her jacket, satisfied that her case had indeed remained intact, when she finally caught his eye. “I didn’t realise you had been away. Were you called back for the same reason I was?” The assumption was almost whispered, as though anybody were paying attention to them. Still, one could never be too careful when it came to council business.

”S-sorry...” He blurted out the moment she prompted him. Krishna had manners, of course, but the last person he expected to see was the Mayor’s wife. He considered it lucky that he had no business dealings with her that would lead to awkward run-ins like this one. Known for being a pacifist, the idea that  Krishna could easily be afraid of any and every one was a popular, though incorrect theory. He was brave in the face of anything that wasn’t bees and yet somehow this woman put the fear of God in him. There was something cold and he would day say lifeless about her eyes; like the ones of a creepy doll or an old painting that followed you around a room no matter where you stood. He gaze was the very definition of ‘if looks could kill’ and Krishna hated being the focus of them. “ I--what?” He stammered for a moment before snapping back to reality. “ Oh, yes... A um... a business thing...” Was as best as he could come up with given she’d put him on the spot. Who would outright say they were acting out an elaborate heist? “ Um, what reason?” He asked, blissfully oblivious as always. “Has something happened?”

“Krishna,” she sighed quietly before embracing her little brother aware of what he was trying to say, what he was trying to hide from her and maybe even himself. She knew this was hard on him, and she had known that for a very long time. In some ways, she almost felt like she’d failed as an older sister where he was concerned, actually both him and Kiran. She knew Kiran was unhappy with her part in the family business, believing she could take on more, while Krish—she knew he didn’t like what he was doing that much and in some ways—she should’ve shielded him from all of it; allowing him to lead the life he always wanted.

Jhanvi hadn’t missed the look on Krishna’s face when she’d mentioned the turmeric milk and while in any other situation it would’ve made her laugh—right now, she just couldn’t—not when he was in so much pain. “Okay, we’ll see how you feel tomorrow.” A quiet whisper before she heard his words, not missing the way he was saying these words. “Krish no, don’t do that..I know you do the best you can,” and she really did know that but his job wasn’t easy—not by a long shot. “I’m not crying I just don’t like seeing you hurt.” And even if he tried to tell her it wasn’t so bad, Jhanvi didn’t believe it not when she could see the extent of his wounds. “You better be more careful, but honestly Krishna..kya hua? Aur kaise?” She heard his words and wiped at the few stray tears that had escaped her eyes before looking back at him, smiling quietly at his words. “I can afford a new couch so don’t worry about it…as for your face, c’mon little brother—you know you’re the most good looking one in the family.” She was teasing as well, hoping that it would lighten the heavy mood both of them seemed to find themselves wrapped up in.  

There was no alternate reality,not even in the deepest caves of him mind, where Krishna ever paused to wonder if his sisters liked this life. He never thought of it as a thrill or an exciting way to live and couldn’t fathom Jhanvi and Kiran thinking that way. In Krishna’s mind he saw this burden take away Jhanvi’s love and overwork her, but she refused to take a break from it. He feared it would rob Kiran of her innocence and sweetness that he loved so much and worst of all, he feared for their lives. Their family wasn’t without their enemies, and truce or no truce, things happened. Krishna knew he would lose his mind if he lost a member of his family and yet it seemed to him that every day it was a possibility.  “I’m sorry.” Was all he could say. He knew she would take offense if he said he shouldn't have come, and in hindsight it was a regret he would beat himself up with for days if not weeks to come.  “ I hate seeing you cry. I didn’t mean to...” He coughed out. Damn it hurt to cough.

“I will, Di.” He forced a smile. Tough times happened, what was he going to do? He would heal, forget, and go back to work and maybe it would happen again down the line. Still, if lying about it put her at ease, then lie he must. “ I...I think it was just some guys, you know? Saw us with something, thought it might be valuable and jumped up to take it for themselves. Don’t worry, we’ll get it back... They can’t sell it without asking around about the right channels and once we get wind of it, we’ll take it.” He sounded so sure it cared him. No one could sell something that important without the Yashvardhan clan getting a drop on them. It was what they did best, after all, and these people were without a doubt unaware of how the black market worked when it came to art like this. “ Besides, the fake will only fool people for so long. Once they realize how much trouble it is to sell it they’ll practically give it away.” Krishna knew it wasn’t what she meant, but he thought that changing the topic to business would lessen the sting of the tears in both their eyes.

“No, I’m criticizing me in modern art.” She laughed openly, tilting her head up to him as she made a joke of herself. Emery loved art, but she didn’t want to be in it or even deserve to be. “I know I like to be viewing artwork, not being viewed as artwork. No one likes a shy painting that runs away when it gets overwhelmed.” She found it difficult to deal with the attention of many. If you put her in a situation with a single stranger, and she’d be perfectly fine. It was only the large crowds that made her anxious. “And if we both stop smiling, who else in Kingston is going to take over? We’re the happy, optimistic ones around here, after all!” Emery announced as it had been any secret. They were the softer ones in comparison to those around them, and she thought their world needed more people like them to soften it some.

Emery adored the fact that Krishna was willing to live in such a playful state with her. There were few others in their circle that would indulge her in such a thing, but the male never disappointed her. “You like the escape it gives you?” Emery questioned before pressing her lips together to let him finish speaking. When he had, Emery smiled gently. “Our world wouldn’t be what it was if it slowed down. Everyone wants more, and they don’t want to wait for it. I can definitely be dizzying, but if it slowed down, I feel like we all would be at a loss as to what to do with ourselves.” Emery admitted. It wasn’t an idea she’d considered before. She’d come to accept this as her normal, but stepping out? Emery wouldn’t know what to do, and her brothers would be at more than a loss than she would. She wrapped her free hand around his arm and leaned closer, resting her head against his upper arm with a soft hum. “We can come here more often, if you like? Or go to New York for the day. If you ever need things to slow down, I’ll be ready to get lost with you.” In truth, the half an hour she spent on ballet every morning was about the only time she felt her own world slip away, and it was safe to say she could probably use a bit more relaxation every now and then.

In Emery, he saw a kindred spirit, which was what made it easier to open up to Emery than most. Usually, Krishna feared what it would do to someone to bring them close, seeing what it cost his older sister and knowing he would never want to hurt or be hurt that badly. He kept the inner workings of his mind with his family, but having grown to know and understand the woman beside him, knew she would not only understand but be able to handle the complexity of being people like them in a world like the one they were in. “ Someone?” He almost sounded optimistic about it, as though giving up his smile and his joy and sinking into the darkness would make it easy for him. No, Krishna liked being a happy person. At his core he knew he was good, and it was the strain of the crimes he committed that made him question who he really was.

“ You don’t think about it?” He was a little shocked. “ What it would be like to be normal? To not have this cloud following you, hovering over your head?” Krishna thought about it all the time... His sisters could lead happy, stress-free lives, his own life could be the stillness of an undisturbed lake that he wanted it to be. “ Imagine walking up not worried or scared for the people you love or for yourself. Imagine not having to --” And then he stopped. It was one this to be open, but unburdening his soul felt like putting the weight of it onto someone else was wrong. “ Sorry,  I got carried away for a moment.” He smiled softly.  Emery was kind, her warmth and gentleness a welcome reminder that his life wasn’t so bad. “ I’d like that. “ He smiled, wider, more genuine now. “ And we should... Get away, I mean. It would be nice to get a break. Go swimming...see a play... Escape for a while.”

Marcus was aloof, not even realizing how Krish’s hand lingered awkwardly near the gun he had no clue about. When he caught sight of Krishna, all he could feel was relief, glad to know that some higher power was looking out for him. Marcus was blissfully unaware to most things that happened around Gold Crest or with the Yashvardhan family. The mere thought of Krish even handling a gun would have made him laugh. Everyone knew that Krish Yashvardhan wouldn’t hurt a fly much less fire a gun at someone, but even kind people were sometimes pushed to their limits. Perhaps if Marcus knew, he’d be grateful to know how Krish restrained himself from the bloodshed.

“Yeah, you’re right. What would a serial killer do out here? There’s hardly anybody to kill.” He assumed Krish was being sarcastic because in Marcus’ eyes this was the perfect place to commit a crime. No street cameras, no foot traffic, and at this time of night there seemed to be nobody around. If someone had wanted to kill him, they would have had the perfect opportunity to do so. Now that his friend was here, Marcus relaxed, the company already working wonders on his anxious mood. Had he known the reality, he probably wouldn’t have felt so at ease in their present situation.

Marcus, eager to start back on his trip to Kingston, began moving his equipment from one car to the next, not stopping until everything was safely  stowed away in the trunk of Krish’s car. “Art show huh? Did you end up buying anything?” He hadn’t seen anything, but perhaps he was going to the artwork delivered to Gold Crest instead. “Sounds like a fun time. What kind of art was it?” He sighed, running a hand through his curls, “I was working a gig about two and a half hours away from here, but I sort of regret it now that my car is sitting broken down in the middle of the road. Let’s talk about something else. I’ve spent too much of the last two hours worrying about my poor car. Knowing I can’t do anything to fix it only made waiting around suck harder.” 

There was a similar relief that washed over both of them in that moment, though Marcus probably thought he was the only one. Without much thought put into the worry he’d previous felt into the back of his mind, compartmentalized deep into the mental filing cabinet of files he didn’t want to accept or deal with. All he knew was that he didn’t have to be that person this night, and that was a relief.  “ Exactly, it’s an empty road.” Krishna chuckled as he took a few steps back to his car, the obvious sarcasm coming from Marcus going clear over his head with a strong wooshing sound you could heard if you listened hard enough.  “ It’s actually strange when you thin about it; this road should be more busy. You would think that there would at least be a truck or two passing by. Weird.”

"Not really.” Krishna shrugged as he assisted Marcus. “ I mostly went there to socialize with other artists; sometimes it’s just good to be around like minded people, see what’s inspiring them these days, get a little inspiration of your own...” He mused. “ Besides, it’s strange, but I don’t by that much of other people’s art. I should -- it would be a great way to support a community that I’m part of, but then I think to myself, ‘if you do that you’re going to run out of wall space, and then what will you do?’. I usually restrain myself after asking myself that, unless I see a piece I think I can’t live without ever seeing again. Sometimes something just moves you like that.” He smiled softly. There was a time when his love art wasn’t tainted by the way his talent was used for forgery now. Krishna would even submit paintings of his own into shows like the one he just visited, but now convinced himself that he wasn’t a real artist and shouldn’t insult other painters by putting his work beside theirs.

“ Oh, that’s pretty far for a gig.” He noted. “ I hope it went well at the very least? I can’t imagine going that far and it turned out to be a bust.” Krishna admired what Marcus did. Sure he could paint, but he lacked music talent, was a better dancer than a singer due to the fact that he couldn’t carry a tune in a bucket with a lid on it, and was far better at keeping a slow and steady hand than having swift, agile fingers used to play stringed instruments or brush keys at a rapid pace. Even being a DJ and seamlessly melting one song into another while keeping a crowd pumped was amazing to Krishna. “ Hey , I get it -- it’s been a long night. So how about we talk about food instead? You gotta be as hungry as I am and I’m sure there’s somewhere open still. How about a beer and some onion rings when we get back to Gold Crest?”

krish;

Just in general, Krishna tried not to talk about work. Not his, anyway. He would, when asked, blame it on the fact that people worked so much already and didn’t need to talk about it in his free time, but really, the topic made him anxious. Thankfully, Anastasia moved on from the topic with ease and his shoulders relaxed. After placing his order – skipping his usual veggie burger as it was too mess to eat in front of somebody he was unfamiliar with, Krishna only now realized that having quinoa might had made him look pretentious. “ Yeah it’s not the smartest idea, but I’ve been told I don’t have many of those.” He laughed, picking up where they left off when the waiter went to place his order. “ I’ve been thinking about getting a larger studio space but it seems strange. I’m sure there’s been a horror movie where a ghost attacks someone in a large empty studio like that. “ He laughed. “ Not saying that I would be somehow trapped in a painting of my own making,but I wouldn’t want to give anything the option, either.” It was mostly a joke…or at least, somewhat of a joke. Krishna didn’t like horror movies and avoided them when he could, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t still afraid of things that went bump in the night. But she didn’t need details on his cowardice. “ Other that though, my only other option is to paint for half the year a,d twiddle my thumbs for the other half.”

She heard him place his order and didn’t think too much of it before going ahead and taking a sip from her own glass of wine before looking back up at him and shaking her head. “Honestly..no, it’s not.” She was glad the man hadn’t made himself sick because truthfully–with the toxic fumes that came from paint, it was likely that most people would easily feel sick or worse. “I bet that’s not true, and besides, I’ve always hard that creative people always think a little off the beaten path,” and this was something her father had always told her–whenever she expressed her wanting to follow in her parents footsteps; being different, being creative wasn’t a bad thing and perhaps she’d evolve in a different way than how they did. “A larger studio space could be good, as long as it’s with good ventilation,” she chuckled before shrugging. “I’m sure no one would want to trap you..you’re so harmless Krishna, why would anyone want to hurt you?” Out of all the people she’d met that consisted of the council, there were two that she found normal and approachable; Emery Kobayashi and Krishna Yashvardhan. They were both always decent with her and never made her fear for her life the way some of them did. “I think you’d drive yourself crazy if you couldn’t paint for six whole months of the year. Unless you went somewhere for those six months, somewhere warmer so you could paint to your heart’s delight.”

Krishna hadn’t noticed -- or maybe he had but just as quickly put it out of his mind and forgotten all over-- the way he often hesitated or disregarded himself. It was exhausted in his speech how much of his life was dedicated to caring for and looking after his sisters, but Krishna had always put his own basic needs last. The things he wanted and the things he needed were written off as unnecessary luxury and generally too much to deal with due to his current job. He believed that his random schedule would make it hard to keep a relationship or a pet and that he could make due with what he had. It dawned on him as she spoke that maybe Anastasia had a point about the dangers he was putting himself in. Still, Krishna, in his typical Krishna way of doing things, brushed it off in his mind and focused back on the conversation. “Harmless?” He said in a gasp-like tone. He knew for a fact that it wasn’t an insult, but still felt like he should have been. Krishna being the kind, non-violent soul that he was hated the act of raising his voice, let alone arming himself and fighting with people. “I’ll have you know that I’m far from harmless and in fact,  I have a lot of enemies.” It came out like a joke, in spite  of only being on halfway.  After a chuckle, he shook his head. “ You’re probably right; I should look into a hobby so I have something to get me out of the house a little bit more and maybe even talking to new people. My little sister has been telling me that for so long but who listens to the advice or their little sibling, right?” He chuckled. “ What about you? Are you looking forward to some big vacation or something for the summer? I mean, I know you’re busy and all, but surely there must be something.”

Jhanvi really didn’t think Krish (or Kiran) understood how much she loved them. They might have been her siblings, but for Jhanvi—being the eldest, she loved them even more than that—always feeling responsible for them no matter how old they got. Of course this proved to end up with her in trouble with them more often than not, but still there was a very big part of her that was glad Krish had chosen to come to her when he needed the help. “It is, but—“ she saw him wince and shook her head, deciding it wasn’t at all necessary for her to say anything back. Instead she focused on ensuring her wounds were cleaned up and patched up so he could rest as easy as possible.

“Of course,” she said quickly before rushing off to the kitchen to get a glass of water. Returning back, he helped him take a sip from it before sighing. “You know I’m going to get you haldi wala doodh too right?” They all hated it when they were younger and while Jhanvi herself never had any now whenever she felt worse for wear, she’d be a hypocrite and get it for Krish, especially since she knew it would help replenish his energy and help with the blood he’d lost. His words about it being better that it was him over her or their sister had her staring at him in surprise. “Tum bilkul pagal ho, pata hai na?” She sighed before giving him a soft kiss on the forehead. “I’m sorry it burns..” she knew it was painful but necessary for her to even begin the healing process. What she hadn’t expected was his words about keeping them both safe, even if she knew her brother felt that way about them. “That doesn’t mean you willingly throw yourself into harm’s way Krishna, you know no one wants that either..” letting out a quiet sigh she began working on healing his wounds as much as possible. There was a lot of gauze, ointment and bandages but he looked a lot better than he had when she first saw him outside her front door. “Do you want to tell me what happened? Or just lie down first?” Maybe it was because he was okay now, or maybe it was just revisiting how he’d looked when he first showed up outside her door, but a tear escaped the corner of her eye, while she hastily worked on wiping it away and glancing back at him. “I love you baby brother..”

Krishna didn’t even realize at first, but he was avoiding eye contact with Jhanvi. It was hard enough knowing what he did, he was sure, but to see it was a whole other thing. He liked it better when they didn’t know what he did, but he blamed his father for that as well. In his mind, Krishna thought his father was the one who brought what he did to the light, thought that all of this was the older male’s fault and was yet to be corrected. Because of that, Krishna was angry at his father for putting his sisters in danger and under stress. “I never wanted you to see me like this.” He sniffled a bit, trying not to cry. “ I feel like it’s less real if...” Krishna trailed off.  What use was it now?

“Tch.” Came out after the cold water soothed his dry throat. There was love behind it, but the aforementioned drink was akin to a bitter poison that Krishna could swear was meant to do more harm than good. “ Di, please...” He grumbled, as if it would make a difference. “It’s okay...” He said of the sting. It was hardly the worst pain he’d felt, both inside and out, and he could easily take a punch, but more than anything, Krishna’s pride was wounded. Though he didn’t have much of the stuff to begin with, he wanted to at least do this one thing well and keep his family safe and proud of him. Not only had he lost the piece tonight, but he was not cause his sister pain seeing him like this. “ I don’t throw myself there -- I do what I need to do for you, for Chutki...Ma... Aur Babuji bi...” He sighed at the last bit. With a shake of his head, he didn’t want to talk or dwell on it, only needed now a plan to find out who it was that attacked him and how he was going to fix it. The though consumed his mind for a moment before he looked up to find his sister crying. “ No, Di... Rona mat, please... It’s really not as bad as it looks.” He lied. The only time it was easy for Krishna to lie was at times like this. “ I promise I’ll be more careful, I just... Di, please don’t cry. If you cry then I’ll cry and there’s nothing worst than seeing a grown man cry. You no how I look -- I’m an ugly crier. I’ll get tears and snot all over your couch and then you’ll have to buy a new one.” He tried to joke to cheer her up. “ Isn’t my face bad enough as is?”

Honestly Warren was glad that the person who found the creature was so skillful at controlling it too. Granted it seemed that all it wanted to do was lick his face and that would put it at ease. Under different circumstances, maybe Warren would have let it show him the same affection. But right now he was projecting his frustrations onto it, deeming it a representation of the joke his life had become. It was tiny but apparently it held the key to their next big catch. Whatever that meant, he was not made totally privy to. The instructions came on a need to know basis. As Krishna stood up, Warren responded to the greeting with a half-hearted nod, eyes trained on the creature that wasn’t near him yet. “I didn’t,” he clarified, in case later the Yashvardhan asked questions. “I’m just temporarily pet sitting for a friend.” It would explain its disappearance soon enough from his life ( at least he hoped it was soon ). It shouldn’t have gotten out in the first place. Casting a glance at her, the puppy seemed like it was more comfortable with Krishna than it was with Warren. “Yeah it’s a relief alright.” How would he have faced the Maddox patriarch if he failed at taking care of a damn dog? “I thought the leash was attached but apparently not, and before I realized that, she set off.” A lackluster explanation but he was predicating it on the fact that no one would imagine that a dog of all things could be the MVP in an illegal exchange. “Listen,” Warren was never one to ask for help, but in this case it seemed imperative. “Are you busy? Cause I think she likes you right now more than me and I can’t have her running off again. My apartment’s just a few blocks down. If you don’t mind,” he didn’t finish, assuming the other understood he was asking for Krishna’s help to bring her back to Warren’s place. 

Still scratching behind the dog’s ear, Krishna was all smiles as his other hand wiped away at the dog slobber that had accumulated on his face from the attention. He didn’t mind, but it made it inappropriate now to shake Warren’s hand in greeting. With an apologetic look, Krishna shrugged. “Well it’s nice of you to pet sit, then. I’m sure having her around is a big change you weren’t prepared for.” He could imagine that unless you were preparing for a pet that it wasn’t easy to house one. Krishna wanted a pet, but never took the leap. He imagined he would somehow mess up and kill it the way he had with small childhood pets and thus talked himself out of the company he very well needed. “ I hope you don’t mind me saying, but you look like a new dad who’s not been getting enough sleep cause of their baby.” Krishna chuckled. One look at the man’s face and Krish could tell Warren wasn’t enjoying it.  “ Me? No, not busy -- just taking a walk, really.” Krishna didn’t mind helping, but as he cast a look to the energetic dog, he couldn’t help but give his input. “ But you know, there’s always a dog park nearby and dogs have a lot of energy. It may help to let her get some of that out with other dogs. They need a lot of love and play time otherwise they just become crazy.” He noted as though he were an expert on dogs. Warren, however,seemed more like a cat person. “ I can show you where, if you want? I don’t know how long you’ll be watching her, but I know that if she doesn’t go on walks she’ll tear your place apart.”