Who Is In Control?

“Oh. I’m sorry. I didn’t know. That’s.. Sorry.” Kiyan decided that perhaps keeping his mouth shut about that would be the best way to go. That was until the other brought up the sister again. “Oh really? Then she must have been a really cool person then. Erin’s pretty cool so if they’re similar thennn she’s pretty cool too!” He frowned, “Oh, it’s a place? Really? It doesn’t sound like a place. I mean, that’s an awesome name for a place though. Novgorod. How do you.. dissolve a place though?”

Nik just nodded, his lips curving up into a faint smile. ‘She was,” he agreed. “She was a cool person. She used to plant all these flowers around our house and make sure everyone can see them. She didn’t care how long she works, she’l plant any and everything before she’s done.” At the question of Novgorod being a real place, he nodded. “I honestly forgot how you can do that, but it wasn’t pretty when it happened.”

“Oh you have a sister? That’s cool. I tried to keep a plant once but it died pretty quickly. Erin said I drowned it but I totally thought that it needed water like every day. It turns out, it did not.” He chuckled, “Wait.. Who’s Novgorod. That sounds like someone who’d be from Krypton.”

“I had one. She’s...not living,” he said, a frown appearing oh his face. He had’t thought about his sister in so long, that he hadn’t even unpacked her ashes yet. Nik did chuckle when he told the story of how someone named Erin told him that he drowned a plant. “This Erin sounds more and more like my sister, Valisa,” he mused, a fond look on his face. “Novgorod was a republic until it was destroyed and dissolved in 1476. I didn’t have a chance to visit it, but I wish I did.”

Benji cringed at the thought. “I can’t say I have native tongue other than English -and even that hasn’t been fully mastered- but I can’t imagine it’d be fun to have people try to communicate in it if they’re not fluent,” he noted. At the man’s description of how he treated the club during his visits, the hunter’s instincts were immediately on alert. “Sounds like you’re likely to have visited hour ‘Red District’ hours,” he chuckled.

He just smirked to himself as he talked, shaking his head. “It’s not fun, trust me. I have to correct half of them each time they tried, and also stop and ask them to switch to English.” though it was funny to him sometimes to see his students try and talk to him in his own tongue. “I have been visiting the ‘Red District’ hours when I can, sometimes twice a week.”

Benji gave him an odd look before adding, “Your students sound like a bunch of weirdos, which I suppose is fitting considering how I found you.” He chuckled at the turn of phrase the man decided to use. “Wow, way to make the local club sound like a vineyard.”

Nik snorted at the comment. “Not all of them,” he said with a chuckle and a shake of his head. “Some of them are, trust me. They think they know anything and actually tried to speak to me in Russian.” he chuckled just thinking about it. “It can be if I wanted to be. Other times I just relax and let everything happen around me.”

“Why did you even start learning about it when you don’t seem to be as interested as you are about Russian Literature. That’s quite a switch in topics though….” Kiyan was thankful he had found something he enjoyed at the very beginning - who knew what he’d be doing now if it weren’t for acting and theatre. “Who’s Ivan?”

He shrugged. “I honestly don’t even know-I was young and I thought I would enjoy learning about plants because my sister was in it.” He said, his lips thinning to a line when he brought up his sister. “She knew everything about plants and would tell me everything she knows about it.” At the question about Ivan, he almost laughed. “A ruler who sacked Novgorod and died drinking vodka.”

“Are you that kind of a hardass that your students would be surprised you’re somewhere near nature?” he asked rhetorically, with a grin on his face. “It’s a pretty decent place, all things considered. And I’m not just saying that because I work there. This town is pretty limited in what has to offer for entertainment purposes, and not everyone has the time or money to drive out to Philly or Pittsburgh. ‘Sides, the crowds are always changing because of the passing tourists.”

‘Sometimes-one of my students almost did caught me near nature,” he admitted. “They thought I nearly lost it before I came up with a lie pretty darn fast before they start asking me questions.” Nik nodded as he listened to him, silently agreeing with him. “Yeah it is, and sometimes I like the change when the passing tourists come to town. Give it a little flavor every once in a while.”

“Oh wow, a Professor,” he said, with a faux air of impression. “What your students think if they knew you spend your free time yelling at foliage?” Benji allowed himself a small laugh as he said, “But hey, at least you’re doing something to better the minds of others. I’m a bouncer at the Canopy, so I kind of work to do the opposite.”

Nikolai laughed as he shrugged. “I think they’ll call me crazy and wonder what professor Nikolayevich is doing near the foliage,” he said with a grin. “I think I’ve been there before, for only for an hour or so before I go home. Might even drop by when I get done taking one break from all the work I’m doing.”

“You studied so much.. that you fell asleep? Like were you borded of it, or were you just over-studying?” Was it even possibly to be studying too much? Kiyan wouldn’t know. “So like what do you learn about the plants and trees though? Like how they grow and stuff?” He asked, “Wait, how come you went straight to Russian Literature? Man, your interests are like so different. First plants, then stories and not even in English?” His eyes widened, “Oh! You weren’t in America? I take it that means.. you went to Russia? It’s very nice to meet you.”

“Bored of it,’ he answered. “I got so tired of learning about every single time that I just fell asleep. And once it was over, it  was over. As for going straight for Russian Literature, I taught of few classes back home in St. Petersburg a couple years, and the Dean called me into the office, asked if I wanted to teach Russian Lit, and it’s been a ride since then.” Nik explained with a chuckle. “I was actually born in Russia, back when it was ruled by Ivan the Terrible.”