yekaterinadolohova-blog

[yekaterinadolohova-blog]

sabina-bobrovskova‌:  

Sabina knew the correct answer, and she knew the answer that she felt deep in her heart. They all felt failed by her but just didn’t voice it. The logical side often argued that the people she had chosen to become her family weren’t exactly known for keeping their opinions to themselves, but the side of her that was often afraid of failing everyone she cared about didn’t care about logic. It was too afraid of winding up alone and forgotten.

She knew though that if she ever came close to actually failing them that Katya would be the first one to sit her down just to figure out the problem. The woman always had her back and knew what it would mean if she was slipping. 

Sabina took a deep breath trying to steady herself as she kept her gaze on her best friend deciding to let go of the worries and fear that she kept a hold of at least for tonight. It wasn’t going to do anything to keep a hold of such things.

A part of her wished that her friend would get over the grifter but she understood why she couldn’t. It wasn’t as if she could say much, but Katya deserved so much better than that man could ever provide for her. Yet Sabina wasn’t sure that there was any person that could live up to her standards. “Perhaps for New York Fashion Week we will throw a large party to out do his which I will need inside information on how to do,” She suggested knowing that Katya would need a little more push to go.

It was hard for her to lie to Katya though, and as much as she wanted to she decided that it was best to stay honest with her, “I’ll be working on the next job. This one slipped out of our grasp, and I’m not going to let that happen again.”

Katya’s eyebrows raise to her hairline.

“-Mm. Inside information? So we throw the parties now?” There’s a smile creeping up on her face, though she tries to keep her mouth pursed tight. Sabina was just trying to encourage her to go- in her own way. 

Though, if there was anyone who would meticulously plan a party out of spite, just to out-do someone else and prove their own magnificence. Well- it would be Sabina. 

And the whole affair would probably be achingly brilliant. 

“That would be fun. Though I’m afraid I would get tired and sneak back to bed with a glass of wine by nine. I feel a bit like an old person.” 

She rests her head against Sabina’s with a gentle sigh, shaking it ruefully. There were probably some who could go til midnight, or later- Jack she can picture especially. But Katya has her limits about these sort of antics, and after a while, the desire for space and sleep would creep up on her. Even with something as fun as Fashion Week. 

“No.” Katya says fiercely, at her friend’s next words. “It won’t.” 

It couldn’t. Sabina was simply too brilliant. Mistakes were made, yes- and Katya doesn’t exempt herself from that. But Sabina and her crew were far too hungry to fail again, far too determined to lose their spot at the top. It was what drove them. Not the money- though that was certainly part of it- but the renown. What wouldn’t they risk to keep it? 

“You are far too clever, kiska.” 

[yekaterinadolohova-blog]

sabina-bobrovskova‌:

“Perhaps I’m not officially a den mother on duty, but I don’t want anyone to feel like they can’t rely on me if they need me,” Sabina knew that it wasn’t her job to be constantly on call for them, but she couldn’t change it. She needed to feel needed more than they would ever need her.

For Katya though she would do her best in order to turn it off as much as she possibly could. Which meant tucking the phone under her pillow where she would still be able to feel it vibrate if she was needed, but at least she wasn’t tempted to keep her eyes glued on it instead of the woman that was offering her everything she needed for the night. Someday though she knew she needed to let Katya have a life outside of her, but she wasn’t sure it was even possible anymore. “You have my attention,” Sabina promised wanting to make her friend as happy as she could.

It didn’t take a lot for Sabina to be able to tell what her friend had been thinking but feeling the way that her body stiffened underneath her told her all that she needed. She had thought about it. She was toying with the idea of leaving the country, and thus Sabina, behind for a week. She shifted in order to lean on an elbow to get a good advantage point to look down at her friend with the best smile that she could offer. “Then you should go, but don’t lie and say it’s because of some guest list. You deserve a week to enjoy yourself after all.”

“Sabina.” Katya says flatly, eyes boring holes into the woman across from her. “You think there has ever been a time where any one of use felt we could not rely on you? You think any of us have felt let down by you as a mastermind?” 

She shakes her head crisply.

“No. Of course not.” 

Mistakes, of course, were human. Each crew member had made them before- no matter what aspect of the job, no matter what role. Katya could admit herself had erred. (And god knows how many times) But let down? By Sabina? That was another thing entirely- and while mistakes happened, that never did. 

As fervently she believes her small speech, it does please her a bit to see her friend tuck the phone away. At least for just now. At least just for this moment. 

“Perhaps it’s not just because of the guest list. I wouldn’t even be debating going if it weren’t for, well. The invitee.”  Katya sighs heavily, with no small touch of drama. Returns a wry smile. 

Sabina was right. 

“Oh, I suppose I’ll go. I’ll just promise not to have fun. Or too much of it. Or talk to Parker more than strictly necessary.” Hah. None of it was necessary- there was no practical reason for Katya to go in the first place. Maybe, for once, she could just admit it. Maybe it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world to talk to him. Actually talk. She used to do that a lot with him, when he was Michael and she was Kat. Maybe Katya and Parker could too. 

“But what about you, hmm? What will you be up to when I leave for the week?” 

[yekaterinadolohova-blog]

sabina-bobrovskova‌:   

“We could just put it on your side of the bed. If I can’t reach it quickly then it’s not my fault, right?” Sabina suggested even as she clung to her phone tightly knowing that she couldn’t just be disconnected from Ace or Jack if they needed her. She knew that of course they would understand if she needed a night for herself but she couldn’t just let them down like that.

Sabina couldn’t let herself focus on the cryptic message that was sent out to the crews. If she did she knew that she’d never stop thinking about the ways they screwed up and what it meant that someone else was seemingly in charge of her life and she wasn’t okay with that.

“Don’t tell me you even considered going,” Sabina huffed dramatically as she put her head on Katya’s shoulder not even giving it much thought. She just knew that it was what would make her feel a little bit better. “If you’re going to Tokyo fashion week it is with me, not that asshole. No matter how helpful he was during the job.”

“Here. Chuck it to the side of the bed. You are not a den-mother on call.” 

Katya’s lips twist playfully, She knows that the others look to Sabina- and why wouldn’t they? The example, Sabina set, with her poise, her skill, the fierce care she held for her crew. It was natural for everyone to look up to her. But Katya, the quietly jealous creature that she is, wants one night with none of their usual worries, none of the stresses. But the role of mastermind wasn’t so easily turned off as a phone, and she understood that. 

Katya freezes slightly, however, when Sabina voices her amused outrage. Could she tell? Could her best friend some sense, supernaturally, that Katya had toyed with the idea of going?

“No. Of course not. I would rather shoot myself in foot.” 

Oh, that was a lie. That was a damned lie, and Katya arches a brow cautiously, gives a sideways glance at Sabina. 

She had, in fact, considered. 

“-However. His parties probably attract a few interesting guests, no? I’d like to see the guest list. Probably a bunch of grifters all trying to out-con one another.” 

[yekaterinadolohova-blog]

parker-mehta‌:    

He can feel the force her eye roll next to him, without even looking at her, struggles to place it on the face of the Kat he once knew. Finds it easy on the face of Katya.

The smile shifts from polite to dimming, before shifting into something more nostalgic (not that she could tell - the angle of his lips too minute for grifters to tell, and he highly doubted that she remembers what the angles of his smiles once looked like).

He remembers what the heaviness of her silences meant - but he still knows how to tell when someone is layering. He just can’t tell if she’s lying to herself. (Is this silence meant to tease him into memory? Why would she want to do that? Or are they just words she can’t admit?)

He can’t tell what his response is supposed to be.

So he stays silent, as though in agreement, aching for them to step away from hostility, and maybe even away from the romance they once had, to current friendship. 

And it seems to have worked, the words coming without acid, but actual answer to his question, unlike thorny conversations that have affixed them in place for so long. Didn’t you choose this lifestyle for the travel nearly spills out, but he doesn’t want to know why she’s in this life, not yet. Stay away from the past.

He tells the truth instead.

“I agree. I used to do this sort of party once a month, before joining a crew of do-gooders. This is almost a sense of familiarity against that disaster.” 

He never said that he would stay serious.

‘Do-gooders.’ 

She snorts softly, still on unsteady ground. Chipping away at the ice didn’t feel normal. Didn’t feel comfortable, and there’s the overwhelming urge to pull back behind her usual irritation with him. But she doesn’t. At least not right now- for now, Katya stands there, looking at Parker’s face with something of a new eye. 

Or at least with less of a grudge. 

Katya looks down at the fizzling pool still left in her glass. Her drinking has slowed considerably, replaced by contemplation, and.. nervousness? Uncertainty, for sure. What is she supposed to do, when she isn’t slinging barbs at him? Remember how much she liked his company in the first place? 

“Can’t imagine why you stopped, even for do-gooders.” There’s nearly a smile, at the corner of her lips. “But, considering the climate- you might need to throw a few more.”

Speaking of disasters. 

She turns to Parker, words clipped, very nearly conspiratorial in her anger. Her ire- for once - wasn’t even directed at him. 

She’s thinking of what drove her here in the first place. 

“-Did you see? That text?” 

Escapism | Open

[yekaterinadolohova-blog]

parker-mehta‌:  

The comment cuts suspiciously close to his earlier thoughts, and Parker nearly wonders whether he thought out loud, before realising that he would never do such a thing, and that she wouldn’t ask if he had said. 

But then again, spending time with Katya was never like spending time with anyone else in the universe, not with the bramble thorn of a past that lay between them, no matter how much Parker tried to propel them into the presence.

(Honestly, you’d think she would understand)

“You know what my idea of fun is, Kat.” And perhaps that is the alcohol, the revelry, the lack of restraint from the entire evening talking. (Or perhaps it is this strange ability to lower his guard around her, as much as she said he shouldn’t) “So this definitely fits into certain categories of it. Though only later tonight will tell-” His voice trails off with a smirk, before realising his audience and trying to morph it into something more polite.

“But if not here for fun, why are you here?”

Ah, there it was- typical Parker. Or Michael. Or whoever else he wanted to be tonight- she wasn’t sure. 

Katya’s eyes flutter up into her head. 

She doesn’t need him to finish that sentence, thank you kindly.

“No, I’m sure I don’t. I came here for Yohei Ohno’s collection, and I came because I do, in fact, miss this occasionally.” The fashion. She means the fashion, of course, but her finger works idly over the rim of her champagne glass, as if considering something privately.

A second passes, and Katya seems transfixed by the gentle ripples of the pool. The music. The low chime of conversation. She considers talking to him. Talking to him, with no barbs, no insults, with no bared teeth. What a change of pace that would be.

Her head turns, suddenly.

“Barely a week, already boarding another plane. I imagine I came for the same reason as anyone else in the crews.” 

“-To brush off this job.” 

Escapism | Open

[yekaterinadolohova-blog]

parker-mehta‌:   

It had been a …. shock, to put it mildly, that Katya had even read the invite, never mind accepted it, and come to Tokyo with some of them. With Parker. Since they had even seen each other, it had been tough to keep them in the same room, yet her she was, willingly engaging in conversation. 

A miracle.

Parker winces at the sharp tone his thoughts have taken, then catches himself smiling at the way she berates all the fashion around them. Katya always did have a way with words.

Especially when it was to mock him.

He winces again, pulls back the champagne he offered to drink it himself. “I do endeavor to do so, but I think you would refuse to ever admit that I could.” There’s no venom in his voice, only long-term suffering, before he sighs and shakes his head. There’s no way that this line could result in anything but more barbed words, and the night had been going so well so far.

“You doing anything fun with all these vulnerable less-than-genuises infront of you? Myself not included in that list, Kat.”

“That would be a miracle, Parker. Show me a miracle, and then I’ll concede.” 

She squints, sips again at the champagne.

Perhaps she’s being prickly because she’s caught herself so off-guard. Off guard that she’d even considered the invitation, off-guard that she’d even stepped off the plane. Katya has spooked herself, essentially, and she feels like she has to keep herself on the offensive to feel comfortable. 

It was so odd. Being together, during anything but a job. 

“Tch. I am not here for fun. Or at least not the kind that fits your definition, I’m sure.” Her lip curls, in the slightest of ways, and it’s indistinguishable between smile and snarl. 

Her eyes slide back over to Parker. 

“-Are you having fun?” 

Escapism | Open

[yekaterinadolohova-blog]

sabina-bobrovskova‌:  

It was clear that her friend was lying about the cat’s intentions but it didn’t matter as Sabina shifted herself in the bed truly allowing for herself to get comfortable as she wrapped herself around Katya. Physical contact was something that came easy to her when it came to her best friend, but it was all that she really allowed herself. There was something about the brunette that made her feel the safest that she had ever felt. There just wasn’t any way for her to express that.

“I wish I could turn mine off,” Sabina admitted off handed knowing that as the mastermind she needed to be constantly available to her crew in case they needed her for anything. Especially after a job went bad. There was no denying that Ace was struggling especially and while she was certain he wouldn’t care to reach out for her she wanted to be sure he could if he needed to. 

“Distract me, Katya. Talk to me about something. Anything,” The words were quiet but there was a strength behind them. She just needed a distraction that she couldn’t find at the bottom of a bottle.

Katya hums.

“Maybe not turn it off. Maybe just scoot to the side, or hide under pillow for bit.” 

A smile. 

She understands, that there are responsibilities that come along with the role of mastermind. Responsibilities too great to shove to the side. But that instinctive itch to want to look after Sabina, to want to shield her from the wear and tear of her job- that she has a hard time ignoring. 

But she can serve as a distraction, at least. Even if she is truly desperate to pick Sabina’s mind about this latest con, their failures, the cryptic messages that had been sent. 

She pats the comforter again aggressively, as if just now remembering. 

“Did you see what Parker sent? The invite, to Tokyo?” Katya huffs a great sigh of air, rolls her eyes skywards as if it were the most ridiculous thing ever. As if she hadn’t, in fact, stared over the invitation with a great deal of thought. As if she hadn’t actually considered it! (Because she had) . She shoots Sabina a conspiratorial, long-suffering grimace.  

[yekaterinadolohova-blog]

sabina-bobrovskova:

Reaching for help was never something that Sabina ever felt fully comfortable with even if it was with Katya. It was clear to her that the woman would always be there for her without judgment, but to her being the mastermind meant not showing even the smallest sign of weakness no matter who it was with. Everyone has their limit though, and no matter what fire was where Sabina broke. There was no helping her besides seeking comfort in Katya as she finally closed the distance between them before sitting down on the edge of the bed.

“You mean his mother is making room for me,” The blonde pointed out dropping her head against her friend’s shoulder without a second thought about it. “But I appreciate him not hissing at me. He’s not a completely wretched beast at least.”

“Oh, no. He would have moved on his own. He’s just simply too lazy- so I decided to help.”

She drops her head on top of Sabina’s. 

Pavel lets out a gravelly ‘mreow’, as if to stress otherwise. Katya tuts him dismissively, snuggles up more comfortable against the pillow as Sabina settled down beside her. It wasn’t simply a sleepover. Well- it was, but Katya knew the reason behind it. Sabina could only reveal herself so much, could only be vulnerable to a certain degree. And she understood. She wanted her friend’s whole heart, of course, and to carry whatever burdens she would let her, but that wasn’t really possible. Or feasible. 

But that doesn’t mean Katya wouldn’t try. Or always have an extra seat in her bed.

“-I’m turning off my phone.” Katya says airily, still disturbed by the text the crew had received earlier. And annoyed, largely. Definitely annoyed. “I don’t want to get any more nonsense messages tonight.” 

[yekaterinadolohova-blog]

parker-mehta:

Tokyo Fashion Week

The week after Paris

Open

It was easy to pretend like the last week hadn’t happened, easy to forget when everything was models and flashing lights and debauchery of a kind that the world had forgotten since he had been working with Monroe. Foriegn place, different food, interesting people, who cared about an egg that got lost on the backstreets of Paris when different sorts of money laundering was going on here, when the world kept running along, gaining speed as it went, new connections, new deals, new money.

He had attended a few shows, flashed different IDs to get into different VIP venues, been welcomed with a kiss or a slap - depending on the person or the reception. But the big show was tonight, invitations handed out, and people all heard the rumours of his private party happening tonight, passed down as legend or memory, and the money was aching to attend.

He had invited a few people along from the crews, admitted others more begrudgingly, left them to their own devices as he carved out whatever paths he felt like. 

And here they were, by the side of a pool of a penthouse suite in the center of Tokyo, and Parker offered over a flute of champagne with a smile on his lips. “So, what do you think?”

Katya sucks in a breath. 

“I think I need more alcohol. And I think Balmain was terrible- oh, wonderful, you’ve discovered iridescent stripes. Is that why half of their menswear looked like it belonged in a Disney Channel movie?” 

She rolls her eyes, fluffs her hair as her gaze wanders over the selection of people moving about in their finery. It was, at least, gorgeous. Shimmering pool lights. A view to kill for. A selection of people you weren’t sure were from what corner of the earth, what speciality, where exactly they fell on the moral compass. A kaleidoscope of a party. And one hell of a distraction for Katya.

“They need to get their head out of their ass.” 

She snags a glass of something strong from a nearby waiter, and fixes Parker with one of her usual glances. 

“-As always, that’s the general advice I always offer to you.” 

Escapism | Open

[yekaterinadolohova-blog]

@sabina-bobrovskova

“Sit.” 

Katya clicks her tongue sharply against the roof her mouth, but her eyes remained soft.

She pats the comforter. Looks at her best friend with an almost impatient sort of care. She tried not to worry- at least not too openly, not to the point of smothering Sabina. Her job was to be there- when she needed her, Katya would be there. That would never change.

And after this con, after its circumstances- after a fire- her room and door would always be open. 

“Do you see, Sabs? Even Pavel is making room for you”

That is only a half-truth. He was pushed out of the way, gently, with Katya’s leg, but he remains on the edge of the bed, blinking. As eternal as a statue. But still much cuddlier. 

“And you know what a wretched beast he is.” 

[yekaterinadolohova-blog]

TEXT: sabina & katya

Sabina: We need the fire as a distraction though

Sabina: I just wish I wasn't in the house with it.

Sabina: ...I have to admit I admire her for that though. Poisoning someone with witnesses around?

Katya: we'll be out of here soon enough

Katya: seeing as our job is essentially over

Katya: yes, bold. she's certainly a piece of work

[yekaterinadolohova-blog]

TEXT: sabina & katya

Sabina: There's an actual fucking fire

Sabina: I don't know how bad it is. I'm not finding out.

Sabina: I'm going to head to the basement and hope to get out sooner rather than later.

Katya: they have it controlled, sabs, promise

Katya: ill put the damn thing out myself if i need to

Katya: also i believe juliet just poisoned marcos

[yekaterinadolohova-blog]

TEXT: sabina & katya

Sabina: Me and Parker are on our way in. We're just going to hopefully blend into the background though.

Katya: The bit about parker bursting in about a fire

Katya: Is that blending in or did rhiannon set an actual fire

Katya: and should the rest of us stay in the dining room during all this?

[yekaterinadolohova-blog]

MICKEY FITZ: aesthetic 

Happy Birthday/Thank You for scaring us all to death with this con

[yekaterinadolohova-blog]

drivebysantos:

Khalid sounded surprised that he and Via were capable of pulling off whatever it is he thought they were up to. He’d be right, of course; at least on Jack’s end, he wasn’t exactly the brains of the outfit. He knew that, he’d accepted his role, but the insinuation that he – perhaps unfairly – read in Khalid’s posture still stung.

     “Is it you two I’m speaking to, then? The Masterminds of all this … effort?”

Khalid seemed like a nice enough guy. Friendly, if to a point. Jack had always been too trusting, too quick to see the good in (most) people. It had burned him more than once before, had hurt him deeply when it came to his parents at least. His heart ruled everything, and in this moment, he needed to think very clearly about whatever he said to the potential terrorist in front of him.

He dropped the Southern drawl he’d sported most of the night, though his Texan roots still dangling off the edges of his words. He eyed Khalid with more suspicion than he had most of the night, done – at least, for now – cozying up to the other man. “I’m curious what effort you think we’re in on,” he asked, tilting his head to the side. 

Via remained silent, watching the exchange curiously. She wondered how far they could get with Khalid once he found out they weren’t behind this whole scheme. She wondered how much information they could get out of him that might benefit the crews. Technically her mastermind isn’t present so it’s a very real possibility she could be here as an envoy. She wonders how much respect that might garner her. This seemed a pretty important job, and to be trusted to go in without a mastermind either showed a tremendous level of trust or the fact that they were expendable.

Unless she was called attention to, she decided to let Jack speak. He had brought up only valid points thus far.

“Nothing here’s what it seems to be, and there’s probably near a dozen plots surrounding this fucking egg. So what do you think we’re up to? And what makes you think you’re right?” He’d gotten lucky trying to work with Khalid thus far, so hopefully that good will – if there ever was any to begin with – would at least give him something with the other man before things turned sour.

Masterminds didn’t hurry. They moved, with intent, but they were never harried and breathless. Katya is still trying to strike that balance as she moves towards the dining room, heels clacking against the flooring.  

No, Sabina never looked harried. 

So Katya must not either. 

She slips her phone back into the silk pocket of her clutch, tries not to fidget with the soft weight of it in her hand. 

Did it look unnatural, the way it was held? Like she was nervous? What if she looked stran- bah. Nonsense. That was her problem, wasn’t it? A bit too self-aware? A bit too over-critical of the things that didn’t matter, and a bit too oblivious about the things that did? 

She’s turning this around in her mind. Over-thinking. 

Katya just needs to be, and she just needs to do. 

She needs to be a mastermind, even if she isn’t. She needs to be a grifter, even if she isn’t. 

The rest of her trek down the house passes in a quiet sort of blur- she’s trying to digest the information available without losing herself in it. 

Easier said then done. 

She sees Jack, Violetta, and Khalid inside the room, moves over in their direction with what she hopes is a subtle sort of deliberateness. 

“Alright, then.” She smiles at the small assembly in greeting, just barely, like pale morning sun shining over the branches of a tree in february. As if she was thanking them for standing in. And then it’s gone. Katya needs to be business-like, brisk, no longer the girl wrapped up in her own judgement and comparison. She glances around at the trio, eyes settling on Khalid before sighing. “I don’t think I need to explain to anyone that securing the egg now is in both of our best interests.” 

[yekaterinadolohova-blog]

TEXT: sabina & katya

Jack: that's y we've gotta get as much out of him as we can w/o tipping off the others.

Jack: dinners abt to start, idk where katya and dallas r but i think well have the best shot w katya

Jack: just so we dont raise any eyebrows or spook anybody

Katya: its the only shot we have at the moment then

Katya: im on my way

[yekaterinadolohova-blog]

TEXT ➞ SABINA

Sabina: Katya, you're the scariest girl I know. You could always imagine he's our Khalid.

Sabina: I'll meet him if I have to, but I think the smarter move is having you pretend to be the mastermind with me in the room. But if you're not comfortable with that it's fine.

Sabina: I was imagining more just me and you maybe shopping or just staying in. No dinner parties after this for a bit.

Katya: yes I suppose in that case I could manage

Katya: no, no, i will whatever i have to do to help, i just dont know how much khalid is going to buy

Katya: though after however many years i do know a thing or two about how you would act

Katya: regardless, it's better we do something than stay here in the room, isabelle was just here, and now that they have mickey... we all need to do something quickly