Like Violence

[Valentia de la Torres]

It'd been a fair while since Alena had made the move to America. Although she had a trainer at the institute - which admittedly was difficult for Valentia to accept, since it wasn't her - Ivan had been particularly helpful with the concept of energy constructs. Her adoptive sister was still a confusing array of energy on the ergokinetic's mental radar, but she was learning to cope with it. Or rather, simply not be quite so annoyed by it.

Details of Alena's extraction from Moscow hadn't, to her understanding, been caught by Odarennyi. Despite the deception, she still worked with them. For them. And it meant she had to leave.

Usually breaking the news to Anastasia was the most difficult; the woman always wondered when or even if Valentia would come back. It was a delicate situation, but one she could handle. But this was different. And while it was ideally more clever to break the news to Alena at home, the thought never truly crossed Valentia's mind. So she called her sister into her office; a neat space with everything in order and absolutely no personal touches.

[Alena Milosz]

Alena hummed to herself down the hallways, a slight bounce in her step as she made her way to Valentia's office. Honestly, the Russian hadn't thought anything strange of being called down to her sister's office. If anything, it excited her to be. She had something for her as it was.

So... Perfect timing.

She didn't bother to knock before poking her head inside the office door. “[Hey!]” Alena quickly reverted into Russian, it being the easier language for her to communicate in. Upon seeing the older sibling, she smiled, genuinely happy to see her. Although she had been in the States a good amount of time now, Alena still had yet to get used to being able to see her sister on a regular basis.

The Russian hadn't bothered to ask why she was called down before she was digging into her bag. Her eyebrows furrowed together as she searched through the bag, but moments later her fingers wrapped around what she had been looking for.

“[You have nothing in here.]” Alena pointed out, as if somehow her sister had missed the fact. “[Sooo... I got this for you!]” Then, she pulled the item out of her bag, extending it towards Valentia. A small picture frame, inside of which was a snapshot of the siblings. The night Valentia had gone to Russia and got her. She shouldn't have been snapping photos during such a time, but then again, Alena knew nothing of how she had been moved under the radar.

In the photo, Alena was sporting a huge grin. Comparable to a child on Christmas morning. Valentia hadn't had quite the same expression, but Alena was sure she was just as excited.

“[ I know it's small,]” she explained, “[But it's a start.]” She glanced at the photo before back to Valentia, smile never faltering. “[So what'd you call me down for?]”

[Valentia de la Torres]

Valentia's dark eyes quickly travelled to her sister's hands as she seemed to search her bag for something. The Russian girl's energy spiked so clearly that Valentia at least knew she was to expect something important. Something that might have even made her nervous.

She briefly let her gaze search the room; she'd easily argue that there wasn't nothing in her office, but when Alena produced a picture frame she understood the concept behind her words. Her eyebrows twitched, the tension she felt causing her own energy to sharpen. She quelled it as quickly as possible, knowing the girl before her had no choice but to read a blip in personal energy. She had no training to settle the instinct.

Slowly, Valentia reached out and took hold of the little frame. Glancing at the image, she felt the corner of her mouth pull and threaten a smile. Even in the thick of such a heavy moment, this girl had managed to get a camera in her hands.

["It is a start,"] She agreed slowly, ["A very welcomed one."]

Setting the photo on her desk to one side, she gave it one final look before she turned in her seat to face her sister again. ["I am leaving for a while."] Valentia announced simply, wavering over details without a thought, ["Anastasia and Ivan will be there for you while I am absent."]

[Alena Milosz]

Alena had, in fact, picked up on the small spike in energy. However, being untrained, the Russian girl wasn’t quite sure what it had meant. She simply felt it. She had yet to understand the ways in which to read such energy.

However, Alena did feel her own energy grow as she handed over the picture frame, and as a means to expel it from herself, a small rabbit took shape as the energy became visible. The younger sibling hadn’t even noticed; her gaze instead remaining on Valentia as she set the photo down.

And at the response, Alena smiled widely. Genuinely. The rabbit bounced happily in response towards the trainer. That was, until Valentia spoke again. With such a simple statement, both the rabbit and Alena’s smile faltered. [“Where are you going?”] She asked immediately, raising her eyebrows with curiosity.

It was impossible to hide her distaste for the idea. She had just gotten her sister back. She was always leaving Russia for the states, and now she was leaving here? The bunny twitched its nose before fading into a swirl of energy. [“Why do you have to go?”]

[Valentia de la Torres]

The presence of a small woodland creature drew Valentia's attention in every way but her gaze. She didn't look; rather, she could feel it like a third life line in the room. Its energy resonated in her mind more than anything else, unstable as it was. It would have been easy to dispel, but the look on Alena's face indicated that she wanted it there.

Even if she didn't know it was there. Certainly, it was an interesting way to cope with the abundance of kinetic energy she was now living with.

She went from a smile to a frown with strange ease. Valentia found it a little unsettling to watch, really. A frown never suited the usually bright connotations of her adoptive sister's features. ["When have I ever been able to tell you where I am going?"] She asked, as bluntly as she usually would. Despite how she tried, her awkwardly accented Russian always sounded abrasive. She breathed a sigh as her eyes fell to the kinetic bunny.

["Because I have always had to leave."] And she knew Alena knew that. It was why she was such a rare presence in her life, until now. ["Moscow, first. Then onwards."]

[Alena Milosz]

The corners of Alena’s lips pulled further down as her sister explained. Or rather, gave a little information as possible. She knew that Valentia never said where she was going, but her parents had always simply stated she was going to the States, and she believed them because there was never any reason not to.

It was an unsettling response. One that explained so little to the curious Russian. [“But why?”] She pressed, taking a step forward and running her fingers over the desk before her. Alena very well knew that her sister always had to leave, but it never meant she really accepted that fact.

Even so, her eyes lit up when the familiar city was named. [“I can go with you.”] She stated, nodding. Just as quickly as the frown had taken over her features, her lips were pulling upward again. [“We can see ma and pa, and all have dinner together!”] Really, she was oblivious to the work Valentia did. The idea of going back to Russia with the ergokinetic seemed logical in her mind.

[Valentia de la Torres]

Valentia pressed her lips into a hardened line when she was questioned further. She wasn't entirely sure how to respond - what their parents had told Alena of what it was she'd been doing for years. She knew, if nothing else, that this girl knew little of the violence. Nothing of the violence. Nothing of her worth to the people the Chilean-born Russian worked for. And she preferred it that way.

And the corner of her mouth pulled to an unamused frown when Alena contemplated going with her. As if it were an actual, legitimate option. She was smiling.

["No."] Valentia replied sternly. It was difficult to consider being stern with someone so bright and fragile, but there was was. A hand, forced. ["Onwards, Alena. I doubt I will even visit them."] Doubt wasn't even an option. She knew she wouldn't. She had no intention of seeing them in any capacity. ["You will stay. We can visit together another time."]

The lie felt bitter. Against her lips. Against her ears. But there was little truth; they couldn't go back. Valentia glanced at her own hand, settled as it was against the surface of the desk. Then her dark eyes travelled to the fingers that trailed along the same surface. In theory, she likely should have reached out to her. As if that was what was the logical next step for her. As if it was what she needed. ["You are... Upset about this?"]

[Alena Milosz]

Alena truly didn’t know of the blood stained on her sister’s hands. Of the violent life she led. For someone she felt so connected to, Alena knew so little of her older sibling. Regardless of blood lines and the time that had passed, Valentia was her sister, and Alena cared about her deeply. Selfishly, the Russian didn’t want her to leave.

Again, her smile faltered at the stern tone in Valentia’s voice. No. Like it wasn’t even an option. [“How long will you be gone for?”] She pressed. It seemed every question she had was responded to, but few answers were actually given. Even if the idea of visiting their parents comforted her slightly, it still did little to calm the Russian down.

[“No.”] She lied, and it showed. Alena was a horrible liar; she glanced down at the desk, trying to avoid eye contact before it was had a chance to be made and she became visibly tense. Her fingers stopped in their movement as she let out a slow sigh. [“But…why can’t I?”] It was impossible to stop herself from pouting at the thought. Whatever it was, Alena was sure there had to be a way for her to tag along.