nellyhasnolife

[nellyhasnolife]

just a pair of absolute fools

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when he insists on teleporting you while pressed up against him when in the last episode of the anime the aliens teleport everyone without contact :,)

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ok google what do i do when ive fallen for a smug and cocky alien who is also my former enemy

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love you forever and always

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Tokyo Mew Mew stuff I did while mindlessly watching TV

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you taste delicious, by the way

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I’m Not Sorry for what I’m going to become over the next few months.

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- Милорд, я не потревожила Вас?

Средь безмолвия ночной тиши её глас сроден дуновению ветра, что мягко ласкает изможденного от духоты путника в летнюю пору. Рука откладывает перо, и Ре��нхольд почти что спешно разворачивается в сторону его обладательницы.

- Нет. Однако признаюсь, что не ожидал увидеть Вас на пороге своих покоев в столь, - он аккуратным, точным движением зажигает дополнительную свечу, - поздний час. Что привело вас ко мне, мисс Эллаира?

В его формальном тоне можно уловить усталость, которая подобно пыли наслаивается на приглушенный баритон с каждым бессонным рассветом.

Отблеск пламени, игриво дрожа, лишь на мгновение выхватывет из тени её отпущенный на ковёр взгляд и сцепленные вокруг рукописи руки. Эллаира позволяет себе задержать взгляд на его изнеможденном лице не больше чем на секунду, прежде чем переступить порог.

- Мне думалось, что Вам придётся впрок рецепт сегодняшнего чая на основе цветов Астрального Вьюнка, но, - она бегло оценивает отсутствие складок на простынях, - похоже, что он также не дал результата. Сколько Вы уже не спали?

Вопрос вежливый, однако он скорее интуитивно, чем логически улавливает также и нотки участливости.

- Практически двое суток. С прескорбием вынужден подтвердить ваши догадки насчёт сегодняшнего настоя. Он оказался столь же неэффективным, однако аромат, - уголки губ выдают полу улыбку, - был поистине чудесным.

Ему чудиться, что щеки её слегка розовеют, однако возможно это всего лишь его измученное воображение.

- Благодарю, однако если же средство Вам не помогло, думаю, что моё присутствие будет лишь отвлекать Вас и мне стоит удалиться.

- Я уже сказал Вам, что вы меня не отвлекаете. К тому же, я также не отказывался и от предложенного Вами рецепта.

Эллаира топчеться, понимая, как выглядит со стороны её поздний видит в личные спальные покои графа, где кроме стекла и кровати семь было не куда.

[nellyhasnolife]

bwon

[nellyhasnolife]

Some phrases

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[nellyhasnolife]

MY XCOM WRITING MASTERLIST

AO3: An Unlikely Alliance (Moxrider) Love on the Battlefield (Moxrider) Asktheelderschosen:

Blood on the Snow (Moxrider) Child Warlock Sweetnes (Betos x Volk) Cruel V x Hunter Moxrider drabble

Just unfinished: V x Hunter 1 V x Hunter 2

[nellyhasnolife]

V x Hunter 2

If any of V’s squad-mates saw what their finest sniper was up to right now, they would, undoubtedly, call her a traitor. Perhaps, even threaten to kill her on the spot for betraying the trust, built with such unease. Surely, V understood what danger she was putting herself and the whole Resistance in. And yet there she was, taking shooting lessons from one of XCOM’s greatest enemies.

“...And now point the muzzle at the target,” quietly whispered the Hunter, having bent almost in half to be on V’s level. “Don’t forget that the butt of the stock should be just above your armpit. You don’t wanna miss such an easy target, eh?”

V gulped, unable to cease the trembling in the hands. He was way too close. Extremely close. Dangerously close. Not only that, but there was that voice. V had no idea if he was using that sensual, that intense tone to mess with her, or it was just how he always was. Maybe even both.

Trying not to give away how his action impacted her, V drew the rifle closer, following the instructions. Not like she didn’t know the basics, but the Hunter had proved to be unmatchable when it came to marksmanship. Any aiming advice from him was worth a pile of gold. And V was ready to risk her own skin if it meant sharpening her skills.

“Like this?” she inquired, getting into position and pointing the barrel at the little cane marked with a cross.

“Almost,” Dhal Il smirked, his hands now all over her whole body. “Let me fix that position of yours a bit.”

V could swear that he was enjoying all of this. That this so-called ‘shooting practice’ was merely an excuse to once again knock her off the feet and tease, until she gives in. She always did in the end. No matter how much V attempted not to fall under that same tricks, the Hunter always found new ways to get to her.

“Yes, that’s a good girl,” Dhal IL praised, making V exhale shortly. “Stay still.”

V froze on the spot, fighting the mixed feelings. For once, she wanted to learn something valuable from him while there was a chance. Yet the Hunter was making it barely possible to concentrate on anything, but him.

“You know…it is hard to do so when you are literally all over me. I may accidentally shoot your leg like that.”

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V x Hunter 1

V woke up suddenly. Dull pain throbbed in her head, as she took a long moment to observe the surroundings. It was certainly some sort of a room. Probably a jail that ADVENT used for the captured enemies. It wouldn’t be surprising if that Chosen hadn’t thought twice before merely dropping her off at the nearest prison. However, after a bit V came to a conclusion she was locked somewhere else. Somewhere she had never been before. Could it be his private shelter? The one XCOM had been dying to locate and wipe out for good? Certainly, that was possible. Yet she was alone, with no sign of the Hunter being anywhere close. In fact, the room itself was completely empty.

V rose, internally cursing herself for being so careless and indecisive. If she had pulled the trigger, if she had not been somehow enchanted by him maybe she would have avoided being taken captive.  She had let her team down, she had failed as an XCOM member. It was embarrassing to admit, but that Chosen turned out not to be as scary as her squad-mates had described. In fact, he could even pass as a handsome man, well, alien, if V were to ignore certain aspects of his appearance.

V knew the door was locked, yet tried to open it anyway. Obviously, all of her weapons had been taken, so there wasn’t much she could actually do. The cell had no windows. V shrugged at the thought of was eventually going to happen. Was he going to torture her? Was he going to merely get in her head and extract the needed knowledge? She had no idea. In the heat of the battle there was no time to listen him talk.

“Trying to escape, eh?” Hunter’s voice ringed in the air, causing V to freeze on the spot in fear. “Don’t trouble yourself, no one has ever slipped by me unnoticed.”

V could feel his presence right next to her. To think that he, that all of them were capable of crossing dimensions in a matter of seconds… It was truly a whole other level. She gulped, trying to conceal the shivering of her hands. Steps echoed behind her back, as he crossed the remaining distance. V wanted to turn around and face him, but found herself unable to move a muscle. She had seen him shoot her friends without an ounce of mercy. Hunter was a cold-blooded killer and an excellent sniper, on the top of that. Far more skilled that she could ever be. If he wanted, her life would end in a blink of an eye. Her existence depended on whether he found her valuable enough to keep alive.

Frankly speaking, there wasn’t much V actually knew about the Avenger and ‘XCOM’ in general. She was born, when the first invasion was already over, much like the project itself. Her incomplete bits of knowledge were barely enough to satisfy that crave of his. But V knew she had to put up a front and pretend to be a useful source of information. She had no choice.

“So, what?’ she shot back at him. ‘Will you kill me on a whim just because I dared to touch the door-handle?”

It was an extremely risky move. One could say she was dancing with the death here. The Hunter could consider her false sarcasm to be an act of impudence and shoot right where she stood. Yet from the way his look fixated on her and lips curled, he looked more amused than angry. Swallowing a bit, V gathered all her will and looked the Chosen in the eyes.

“Kill you?” Hunter asked, tilting the head just a bit. “While I am slightly interested in seeing your defenses crumble on the verge of possible death, there are few things that worry me too much about you to do that.”

His eyes were bewitching. Was it the vivid purple color or intensity of his gaze, but for a moment V again found herself mesmerized by the enemy she was supposed to loathe. Having averted the look in confusion, V rubbed her left arm. She had to restrain that curious nature that prompted her to examine the Hunter up close. It was strange. She was still frightened, but that anxiety was now of a different nature.

“What’s so special about me that you willingly spared my life when could have shot just like other obstacle in your way?” V murmured, not daring to lock their eyes. “You had no problems getting rid of my squad-mates.”

She could hear the clatter of the steps that echoed loudly against the walls. The Hunter fingers soon grasped her chin, forcing V to look up and drown in those eyes against her will. “The same look,” he stated, observing her features thoroughly. “Even then you had the same look in your eyes.”

V tensed, not knowing whether to push him away or freeze like a statue. Was her expression betraying her again? Was it so obvious that she was fascinated with him? Did the Hunter somehow notice her not shooting him in the battle? It could be anything, much like it could end up being everything at the same time. Words got stuck in V’s throat.

“That question…” he continued. “I could ask you the same thing. You had many obvious chances to wound me, yet didn’t pull the trigger. You avoided shooting me on purpose. Either you are short on brains, either there is something else I don’t yet understand.”

So it had been the case after all. Her stupid actions worked in her favor in the end. It was pry that had made the Hunter take her captive.

“I know it was stupid. I know I should have pulled the trigger,” V admitted

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V peeked out of the bushes and scanned the camp at the end of the road. It wasn’t as big as she expected, so it only added to her suspicion of those guys being nothing but big-mouthed liars and cowards. V gritted her teeth the second she laid eyes on a few big packs of supplies. Supplies from her own haven that struggled to rebuild after the devastating attack that had almost wiped it out clean.

Those greasy, smug bastards thought they could just come, take everything from them and then have the audacity to blackmail the remaining people to pay them for what was rightfully theirs. Oh no, she wasn’t planning to let her home being robbed. She would come and show them the consequences of underestimating her and her clan mates.

V barely held herself back from just jumping out in the open and shooting them all in an impulsive desire for justice. It took her a few moments to suppress the shimmering anger and get a grip on her chaotic emotions. She had to search for the camp’s weak points and blind spots before even attempting to sneak anywhere closer. She wasn’t a Reaper to have the advance of stealth and almost soundless movements, so she opted to inspect the site through the scope.

For a moment she regretted doing so, as the picture she saw was far for pleasant: tons of alcohol, weed and corpses scattered all over the place. And those corpses weren’t of ADVENT, but of the camp’s inhabitants. It seemed like not only those pigs had no real numbers to ‘take them out’ as they had threatened, but they were at odds with each other. Which V somewhat expected from those, whose drive force was greed for money and riches. 

V visually circled the camp a few times and counted only four people altogether, which was almost nothing compared to alien squads she was used to encountering. She pondered trying to shoot them, but at such a distance her aim could easily waver. There was a blind spot at the western entrance because of no one was actually guarding it. All four men were busy shouting and threatening each other with guns and that opened up a nice opportunity.

V threw the sniper rifle over the shoulder, took out the pistol and started sneaking towards the camp. She hoped that by the time she reached it, all of them would have simply shot each other off and she would merely carry all the supplies back. Having hid behind the last tree separating her from the camp, V took a quick glance at the hole in the ugly wooden fence. Still no guards. The shouting was so loud she could almost make out some words thrown around. 

V squatted as much as she could and started crawling towards the opening, ignoring the pain in her limbs from all the dirt, stones and branches digging into her legs and the disgusting smell of sweat and whiskey. No one noticed her just like she expected.

Apparently, only two men were now alive instead of four, and those two were as much keen on getting all the robbed goods to themselves as when they were all four. How utterly pathetic. It took her merely a few seconds to take a decent aim and shoot them booth. V cringed and almost immediately gauged when actually stepped within the camp’s premises.

The stench was unbearable. Her eyes stared to water, as she attempted to fight off the desire to throw up right at the corpse of a freshly killed gangster. V squeezed her nose, stepped over the bodies and scurried towards the large stack of familiar boxes. Two of them were already empty, but the remaining five were still unpacked, which immensely relived her. Good. It was enough for the civilians in the haven to survive on until the next drop from the Resistance would come.

V holstered the pistol and started looking around for some sort of vehicle to carry the supplies back to the base. Her own strength would allow her to carry only two boxes and she couldn’t risk leaving them in the open like that. There! There was actually a very old and rusty cart sticking out of the bushes that was exactly what she needed. However, V basically froze on the spot when her ears had caught a familiar babbling. A very distinctive and bone-chilling babbling of those bound to the Elders. ADVENT.

V felt panic rising within as she hurriedly jumped into the tent and attempted to hide her presence. Maybe, just maybe they would merely pass by and not go inside the camp to investigate. She new for sure if they find the Resistance supplies it will eventually lead them to the haven. And it would end up with not only the loss of some food, water and medications, but the loss of people too.

Yet just like he feared the babbling only grew more audible the more she sat still. She had to take action and somehow get rid of those guys. V gulped, forcing herself to cast aside the fear of her own possible death. She had faced the Hunter and stayed alive. She should long be past the stage of panic and fret. She was strong, she was skilled. She could handle it.

V had no idea how many of ADVENT soldiers there were exactly, but by the footsteps it didn’t sound like a big squad. Possibly, four or three units. If she took them by surprise, she could shoot at last one for sure. V moved along the tent’s side and noticed a piece of an officer’s armor. No stunlancers or shieldbrearers, which was a relief. Gathering all the courage she had V took aim at the open peck of skin at the neck and shot. Orange blood splattered, as the officer squealed, staggered and fell on the ground.

V felt her heart hammering inside, as she jumped out of the tent and ran to cover herself behind the boxes at the wall. She was obviously noticed and fired at by the other two ADVENT units. V yelped and moaned when the magnetic beam hit her in the lag, burning the flesh and almost causing her to fall flat on the face. Shit, it was bad. With a wounded leg she couldn’t really count on running and quickly changing cover.

Another beam hit the left side of the boxes and V thanked whatever Gods existed for the fact ADVENT’s aim was still far from perfect. She dared to peek out and found the two soldiers running towards her with a full intent to kill. Her breath hitched, as she hurriedly scurried towards the corner and took out a grenade with shaky hands. V activated and tossed it, hoping it would get rid of at least one of them. The deafening blast and a loud, awful scream confirmed that she hit her target. Well, more or less. The last soldiers still stood, his rifle aimed and ready to fire at her.

And then he dropped dead in a split second. V blinked and froze at the spot, taken aback by a sudden help. She began turning her head to all directions, attempting to find the mysterious savior (or maybe not, maybe that someone was planning to kill her as well), yet there was no one in sight. V took her pistol and messily limped towards the dropped supplies, slick fear still enlacing her mind. There was still someone watching her, there was still a possibility she would get killed just as easily.

 “Is…someone here?” she tried to scream, but it came out more like a shaky, scared squeak.

 No answer came. V gulped and attempted to finally get it on with carrying supplies while she could. Yet when she leaned down to pick up the first box, she felt someone’s hot breath on her neck.

“Heya, little kitten~”

 V screamed, jumped, dropped the box and fell on the ground, her leg hitting her with a sharp pain as she messily landed on the ground. She instinctively clutched the pistol and aimed it at whatever came after her. Her heart beat frantically, eyes went wide and V was already counting her last seconds. It was definitely her death, wasn’t it?

One would definitely agree to that statement. V finally dared to move her eyes away from the trembling hands and towards the actual person who was looming over her. Her heart skipped a bit the second she came face to face with the Hunter. He looked as carefree as she remembered him from their very last encounter: curved lips, nonchalant posture and eyes glowing as brightly as some jewels. He was amused.

 “Oh my, I scared ya, didn’t I?” he laughed, baring the sharp fangs.

 V felt relief surge through her for a split second, before a new wave of doubts, hidden fears and gruesome scenarios filled her vision yet again. Maybe he was just putting up a front to lower her guard and then he would kill her off. What was he even doing here? Was he after her haven? Was he after her?

 “Tch tch, remove that lil toy, will ya? If I wanted, you’d already be dead, so don’t bother,” Hunter tutted and with a simple movement disarmed her.

 V crawled back, feeling like a small mouse in front of a big cat. He had a point yes, but V also knew Hunter was a man of whims and loved to act upon fleeting desires. And she couldn’t foresee when his fascination with her would end and turn into indifference.

He should have had some ulterior motive; he wouldn’t have even bothered to come to such a deserted and inhospitable place just to make fun of her. And that inability to predict the Hunter’s actual plans sent her mind in a spiral of panic.

 “D-don’t come any closer-”

 “Ah, and there I thought I would at least get a ‘thank you’ for shootin’ dat fat buffon,” Hunter casually removed the box and started approaching her.

 It was quite funny how she was even more scared of him now than when he took her captive back in the day. Unpredictable even for such a brilliant tactician like him.

 Hunter haltered midway, and V could almost swear he heard or even saw something. Yet she wasn’t given enough time to even ponder, as he abruptly lifted her from the ground and in the very next moment she was thrown into same tent where she was hiding from ADVENT. V squealed, as the Hunter hadn’t bothered to be careful or gentle. Tears welled up in the eyes, as her wounded leg throbbed with sharp and pulsating pain.

 “What the hell are you-?”

 “Shh,” the Hunter cut her off. “Stay still and don’t even think about steppin’ outside, ya got it?”      

 V froze, following the Hunter with her eyes only and not daring to make a sound out of pure fear of what could have caused him to do such a crazy thing as hide her. She was basically trapped amongst the smelly and dirty shits, tired, wounded and, on the top of that, she still hadn’t even begun taking the supplies back to the haven. V only hoped another sudden threat would quickly cease to exist, and she would finally be free to do what she intended to do.

 “There you are, brother,” the snarl reached V’s ears. “The Elder’s patience grows thin, they will no longer allow you to ignore their call. Come with me or…I will make you.”

 “I am not plannin’ to waste my time to hear the Elders ‘oh-so-important’ speeches about some great mission that, high purpose this, and I’d advise you to do the same, my dear little sister. Save me the trouble of killing you, and just leave.”

 Ah. V faintly recalled the Hunter briefly mentioning some sister and brother of his during her days at the Stronghold. She had never seen any of them, but if they were any similar to him, it would partly explain his actions. If they saw him with a human, and on the top of that the Resistance member, it would not only result in her own death and the obvious danger to her haven, but in his own possible punishment.

She had to get out of here somehow. By the rather hostile tones of their voices V could tell they were seconds away from getting on each other throats and it would definitely blow up her shaky cover. Her leg hurt, so V took off the jacket, tore it apart as quietly as she could manage and tied it around her bleeding leg. The blood ceased slightly, but still streamed down her shin.

 “You leave me no choice, but to force you to obey,” the Assassin scowled, drew her sword and lunged forward with a cat-like agility.

 V only managed to make one step, before the whole ground shook with a massive force of the two Chosen colliding in battle. Damn, she had to be faster. The small camp got filled with the sounds of the metal clanking and loud shots in no time. V merely hoped the Hunter would taunt his sibling away from her tent and distract her long enough for her to escape unnoticed.

V covered the whole body with a piece of sheet that was dusting under her feet and sneaked out of the tent.

 “Too slow,” she heard the Hunter laugh, as the magnetic beam landed somewhere in close proximity. “There is nowhere you can hide from me, Fon Mai.”

 V took a deep breath and ran with all she could under the saving cover of the woods. Well, ran was more of exaggeration, as her leg allowed her to only awkwardly limp.

Her mission turned into a catastrophic failure. She was forced to flee and abandon the supplies she had almost died for. All the trouble had been in vain, and why? Because the Hunter for some reason decided to show up and play his games.

V leaned against the tree trunk and let her hectic heartbeat calm down a little. The sounds of the battle grew slightly fainter, yet she still could tell apart two tall figures jumping around. His sister looked a bit slimmer than the Hunter, though V could notice she was drastically faster and much more flexible than he. Didn’t look like they were merely playing around. V concluded from the small bits she managed to hear that they were pretty much at odds and that the Hunter wasn’t really keen on doing whatever the Elders planned. Which was good. It would mean the battle would give her some time to cover her tracks and hopefully escape not only that sister of his, but him as well.

V checked her slightly bleeding leg and tightened the sloppily done bandage. Heading to the haven would be far too dangerous and far too obvious. There was also an ADVENT station not so far away, so heading to the south would most likely end up in her being shot. The only really reliable way was to keep to the north and choose the least used tracks that would, hopefully, confuse anyone that would try to follow her.

   Two hours felt like days of climbing up hills, wriggling through bushes and passing by numerous shallow puddles of muddy brown water. V was tired, bleeding, angry and on the top of that really, extremely hungry. Her legs were aching and shaking the more she walked, and V expected her body to collapse at any moment. She needed a break.

Not without a groan she dropped herself at the small patch of moss, took the rifle off and stayed still for ten minutes. If her stomach wasn’t groveling, V could have easily fallen asleep right where she sat. The only thing that wasn’t letting her mood get completely sour was the fact no one was at her tail. At least for now. The sun was slowly setting down and the air around was getting cooler rather quickly, so she had to get going, unless she wanted to get trapped in the woods for the whole night.

V untied her torn jacket to check whether the skin on her leg had gotten any better. It hadn’t, it was still as badly burnt and bloody as before. She wasn’t even sure it hadn’t already gotten infested with some sort of disease. Having pulled out a tiny vial with water, she poured some on the wound to at least clear away the dirt. A loud moan left her lips. V messily scrubbed away the patches of skin and bits of sole, tied everything back and forced herself to keep going.

After one more hour V was standing at the coast of a broad and rather deep river that separated her from the destination point. She was beginning to think the whole world was laughing at her. There was no way she would reach the other side without getting completely soaked and without damaging her rifle. She had no choice, but to take it off and leave where it was. Damn. It was one of her favorites.

The water was cold, almost icy. V felt the teeth clacking, as she awkwardly pushed herself through the torture. She could already feel cramps taking her muscles in a titan hold. This whole day was a complete and utter disaster. She would end up catching hypothermia and die at some stone, lost and forgotten by everyone. Sounded about right.

V’s bluish fingers could no longer rub enough warmth into the skin, so V opted to use them for swimming, as the bottom was no longer reachable even with her height. Almost, almost there.

She stepped out and immediately collapsed on the ground, shaking and trembling. Was she dying? Was it the end? She was alone and had nothing with her to even remotely keep herself warm. The sheet she had stolen from the camp was dropped off in the first hour and now V came to regret the decision. The haven…it was so close, yet so far at the same time. If only she could…replenish her energy somehow.

Something heavy and smelly dropped on her from above. It felt like some thin blanket, strangely similar to the one she was just remembering.

 “Were you even trying to hide your tracks?”

 V yelped and jumped into a more or

[nellyhasnolife]

Moxrider fic I still need to re-do and complete~

Elena took off the leather gloves and let the flame warm her frozen hands. How long has it been since she last felt this life-giving warmth? For as long as she remembered, the fire had always been a part of her being: it saved her during the severe weather, gave a chance to be saturated with some delicious meat, dispersed the dense forest twilight. Elena even closed her eyes, giving in to the forgotten feelings. Of course, life aboard the Avenger was full of amenities, but nothing could ever compare with the closeness to nature. Even the ruins of once majestic cities, in which their faction found temporary shelter. Elena bent down to throw an armful of brushwood into the fire. The cracking of dry boughs caused her to smile slightly. And it was extremely rare for her to smile. The war had turned a cheerful girl into a strong-filled and fierce woman. A cold-blooded killer, capable of ruthlessly destroying aliens one after another. Elena loved being alone. It was still unusual for her to share a small room with other soldiers, so she sometimes asked for a permission to leave the Avenger for a few hours. It was more than enough to ponder and enjoy the night scenery. To remember that she was a Reaper. A sudden rustle of withered leaves made Elena cling to her rifle instinctively. Her muscles tensed in an anticipation of an enemy. She didn’t have a mask with a built-in night vision on, so she couldn’t really tell where the sound came from. Squinting, Elena looked around the forest thicket with an attentive glance. The rustle repeated somewhere nearby. The shot followed immediately. “Who is there?” She was ready for battle. Almost no one could compare with her neither in marksmanship, neither in dexterity. "There's no need for weapons. I didn’t come here to fight.” Elena lowered the 'Vector', recognizing the voice of someone who would have shot immediately a couple of weeks ago. Mox. Pratal Mox. She noticed a torn scrap of fur on his collar. The bullet flew only a couple of centimeters away from his neck. "I'm sorry," Elena lowered the rifle, allowing herself to relax a bit. “I didn’t expect a company... Yours especially.” “I understand. We have been sworn enemies until now, so I cannot judge your caution.” Mox spoke slowly and insinuatingly, trying his best to show that he meant no harm. "After so many years of continuous enmity it's hard not to want to gnaw your throats," she snorted. “I would be glad to prevent all those bloody massacres that I committed under the Elder’s control. I don’t blame you for hating my kind.” Mox approached cautiously, as if testing the waters. Even though they allied forces against the common enemy, it didn’t mean that all the past grievances had been forgiven and forgotten.

Reapers have long memory.

“Unfortunately, it’s not possible. You can’t resurrect the dead," she stated drily. "Your death squads took lives of an innumerable number of my people."

"I'm sorry," Mox said sympathetically, sitting down beside her. “Each of us, skirmishers, constantly struggles with the blame for our crimes. Believe me, we would never wish anyone such a terrible fate in our right minds.”

Mox understood that his apologies were just an empty sound to Elena. He couldn’t resurrect her dead comrades. He could only offer his sincere repentance in return. Elena pursed her lips. "Pity can’t fill the bottomless abyss that your people left in the heart of every reaper," she said in an almost icy tone.  “Every day I struggle with anger. Every day I force myself not to see you as an enemy.”

A heavy silence hung in the air. Mox had no idea what to say.

"I ... just hope that one day you will be able to forgive me. See me as an ally again," he admitted honestly. "You're an excellent fighter, Elena. You were not afraid to stand your ground against Vox Prima, and it is admirable. It is much better to have you as a partner than an enemy.”

For a moment Elena hesitated. It didn’t look like Mox was lying. The boiling anger began to subside slowly but surely.

"I'm sorry," she breathed after a while. "I always feel like people are trying to trick me. I am incredulous and skeptical towards everyone who doesn’t belong to my faction. It’s too reckless to trust others blindly. Once I got burned, and this lesson cost me too much.” A cold gust of wind made Elena pull on the hood and shiver a little.

"If you're cold, I can lend you my cloak," Mox suggested, watching her body quiver.

“There is no need,” Elena refused. "It's nothing compared to the winters of my childhood. I have survived conditions much more severe than you can possibly imagine.”

Still, Mox couldn’t help, but admire Elena’s spirit and lack of fear. He didn’t know anything about her, but for some reason he was sure that Elena had been on the verge of death more than once. And yet she was ready to face it at any time.

"Maybe so, but right now you're shaking," Mox insisted softly, throwing a red cloth over her shoulders. “This is the least I can do to thank you for rescuing me from captivity.”

Elena tensed again, but forced herself to calm down. It was just a cloak. Mox was only trying to be polite.

"Thank you," Elena nodded, wrapping it around her arms. "But I just returned the debt. You gave me a chance to escape from the hordes of lost. Reapers repay good with good.”

"But you did it on your own will," he retorted, allowing himself a smile. "Nobody ordered you to save me. That's why I want to believe that you can trust me one day.”

Elena wanted to protest, but she knew that Mox was right. Nor Volk, nor the commander gave her such instructions. She volunteered to join the squad to save him.

“I just don’t like being in debt.”

It was only half true. Elena didn’t want to admit that for a while she had allowed herself to forget about the enmity that had existed almost all her life. That due to the feeling of gratitude she had been ready to sacrifice her own skin to get no one else, but a skirmisher out from the Assassin’s clutches. Mox shook his head slightly, but didn’t object. He could guess that Elena was afraid of getting stabbed in the back. Her reluctance to share details and overly personal experiences was justified and understandable. "If you want me to leave, I’ll leave," he suggested quietly a minute later. "I don’t want you to be in constant stress because of my presence." Elena wanted to agree to such a tempting offer, but eventually changed her mind to send Mox away. "It's all right," she breathed out, turning around to face him. "Since I agreed to join XCOM, we will have to work together, regardless of my opinion." Though you are the last one I’d trust my life with. "You really are an amazing woman," Mox said admiringly. "You hate me, but due to a sense of duty and responsibility, you do everything to overcome yourself." Elena just grinned, squeezing the edges of the red cloak. It was funny. She could almost call Mox a gentleman: he was doing everything to win her respect and friendship. “I have no choice. If we don’t unite our efforts, we won’t have any chance of success. We almost went to the underworld when we met this ... "Dragunova hesitated, choosing the most suitable word, "this thing." "If not for you, Vox Prima would have cut me in half," Mox slid a hand down his chest, looking for a layer of bandages. "Her sword never misses. She is an ideal fighter, one of a kind.” Elena clearly remembered the deepest wound left by the Assassin on his body. She was deft, elusive and merciless. Like death itself. "The same can be said about her brother," Elena noted, recalling how Hunter mocked her people, shooting one after another with an unprecedented ease. "You've probably heard that there are three of them serving the Elders altogether. One of them has been causing us many problems. His rifle can hit targets at the unprecedented distances. He can predict your actions before you even think about them. You never know whence this instant death will reach you. He...They all are monsters created to hunt us down and eliminate like some livestock.”

Suddenly Elena felt his hand on her shoulder. Mox still felt pain from any arm movement, but wanted to support her nevertheless.

"I know how you feel. Vox Prima slaughtered so many of my brothers and sisters that I cannot even count them all," he said sadly. "But I believe that together we can put an end to the rule of the Elders. Please...Believe me. I would never want to harm you, not after everything you’ve done for me.”

Elena nodded in confusion, forcing the conscience to remain silent. She would never become a true member of XCOM, if she can’t let go of her past grievances. But every time she looked at Mox, she recalled those who took her home from her involuntarily.

"How can I earn your trust?"

"I would like to know that either..." Elena almost answered, but glanced at the muton meat getting roasted on the skewers instead. The meat of these aliens had a specific taste, but it was the best kind of food to ease the hunger. Not to mention, she hated anything that contained CORE, so-called restored protein.

"The reapers believe that the first step towards trust is sharing a meal together," she reached for the almost cooked dish. “It shows that you respect your interlocutor and want to earn their sympathy.”

Mox frowned slightly when the pungent smell of the fried flesh hit his nose. For him, such food was beyond any understanding.

"Do you want me to... eat this?"

Elena sniffed, and then cut off a piece with a pocket knife. The meat was juicy and looked quite appetizing. However, she didn’t have enough time to give it to Mox, because suddenly a strange, unholy sound echoed in the air. The sound of the alien. Elena jerked immediately, grabbing her ‘Vector’. The prepared dish fell to the ground with a savory slap. They were not alone.

"Watch out," she ordered Mox, moving toward the thicket cautiously. The instincts told her that the enemy was hiding somewhere nearby, tracing them like some prey. Perhaps, they have been observed for a long time. Mox was unarmed, as he hadn’t dared to come to Elena in a full combat gear. Even his beloved Bullpup had been left on the bedside table. Now he felt useless. Grabbing the knife that fell from Elena’s hands, Mox followed her lead.

The animal like sound repeated.

"It sounds very similar to a cryssalid, so we ought to move slowly and carefully. If this thing gets us, we won’t get out alive. Their poison is very powerful.”

Mox nodded, peering into the darkness. His gaze stumbled upon a faint yellowish glow. It was static, but then it shifted sharply to the left.

When a cryssalid emerged from the forest, Mox didn’t even have time to publish a sound. The creature reached Elena in the blink of an eye. The speed was beyond comparison. It was impossible to escape even if you wanted.

"Damn," she cursed, hastily trying to dodge the deadly claws. A shot from the rifle didn’t cause any effect. The bullet whizzed through the air, not touching the insect-like alien.

Mox lunged, but way too late to change anything: the cryssalid was more adroit. His sharp limbs twirled in the air, forcing Elena to stagger from the sharp pain in her thigh.

"What a bastard," she hissed through the clenched teeth.  I'll tear you apart and prepare some meatballs from your disgusting flesh."

Elena exhaled, feeling her leg getting paralyzed. The poison had an instantaneous effect.

"Don’t touch her," Mox snarled, thrusting the knife into its head and trying to hurt it as hard as possible. The alien jerked, making terrible, boiling sounds. Apparently, the blade hurt some vital organs.

"Run, Elena," he shouted, dodging the awkward attacks. "I won’t keep it away for long!”

Elena cursed again: her body did not obey. The poison had already begun to spread, clouding the mind. Cryssalids never walked alone. Where was one, were the others.