obriv'

“Sometimes I feel that I should like to be cuter.... Maybe add something sparkling to my design, but I really don’t know if I should stand out or no. What do you think?”

nikolai’s not really surprised by the fact that sofia doesn’t react at all to the tone of his response (though he knows it had been less than pleasant), and though he’s not sure why she puts up with him when he’s in such sour moods, nikolai is certainly grateful for it (on good days). it also, naturally, means that he’ll hear out and consider her request carefully. the ability only watches her raise the square of fabric with a mild, almost disinterested expression. for a moment, it seems that perhaps he’s considering it. then, he only sighs. may as well agree - it’s not like he has much else to do, after all.

“i see. i don’t understand why you do these things, but…” nikolai will end up agreeing, of course (he almost always does, when it comes to the other people in the rats), but he won’t agree immediately. that would come across as a little too willing to do things for other people, and nikolai doesn’t want to come across as being helpful, because that’s not how he should be in a team like this. “since you don’t seem to have anybody else, i suppose i wouldn’t mind it, as long as you’re careful. just don’t try and touch me in any way, or you might accidentally end up hurt.” it could be taken as a threat, but really, it’s a warning. he doesn’t want to have to feel guilty should his own ability happen to hurt or nullify sofia.

While she may not be on her host’s level of fanaticism, Sophia does really care for all her fellow Rats. She feels it her job, a matron figure to watch out for Ivan first and the team second. Nikolai’s harsh moods can’t deter her when there’s something she wants. She laughs softly at his skepticism-- he doesn’t really mean it, or at least not in a bad way, she thinks. He’s just being difficult because he is Nikolai.

he’s leaning up against a wall when sophia finds him, but he’ll insist that he wasn’t moping (really, to even suggest that - he doesn’t mope, for goodness sake!), rather, he was thinking. nikolai only tilts his head a little, a faint expression of surprise crossing his features for only a split-second before he exhales. sophia needs to ask him something…? not that unusual, perhaps, but nikolai’s naturally suspicious any time somebody needs to ask him anything, and that doesn’t change even now. 

“i’m not that hard to find.” he states dryly, though it’s not fully meant to be hostile at all. “perhaps next time, you should look a bit harder.” being kept inside has made nikolai perhaps a little stir-crazy, only permitted to be out during small periods of time, and almost always supervised. still, with a small, almost tired sigh, he relents just a little. “go on, then. i’m listening - what did you want?”

His dry response is noted with absolutely no dampening of Sophia’s gentle affection, she simply laughs it off. “Perhaps I shall.” There is no sense of commitment, just acknowledgement that Nikolai is not one for lightheartedness at the moment. (When is he ever.) She holds up a square of fabric that had been kept at her side-- a folded mens’ dress shirt, a straight pin or two sticking out the side. Something belonging to one of the other Rats here. 

“Kolya, there you are.” She practically prances over to him, stopping just before taking his hands in her own-- while his ability shouldn’t kill something that isn’t properly ‘alive’, she’ll leave initiating contact up to him. “I was looking for you, you’re not moping around again, are you? I need to ask something.”