Aralyn * Psyche

Normally she would have run away as she was so good at doing, but she couldn't do it anymore. She wanted safety, she wanted freedom... And she was going to the last person she would ever resort to. Normally Aralyn would have run to Ben, to Conan, to Nadeem. But she knew that Ben would eventually turn up at Mikhails. She knew well of the man. Well. Sort of. She knew that he was a friend of Bens. So she had jumped onto Psyche and like a bat out of hell they took off, heading for Mikhails home. The black mare held no saddle, no bridle, merely the girl upon her back who was pushing her on and on and on. When they finally came into sight of the house, she slowed the mare and sailed off her back pounding up to the door and beating on it. Tears were streaming down her cheeks, and her arms were clasped around her stomach. I don't want it. I don't want it. She whispered repeatedly in her mind. And she didn't. The child growing within her was an abomination, a creature from hell just like the other two. Mikhail. She said softly. She knew the man wasn't quite right, but at the moment neither was she. She just wanted someone. Anyone. And she had chosen him.

Mikhail Bakunin

We're face to face
Loyalty is what I need to see from you
You're insecure
I can see the fear that breeds in your heart
Where will you run?
Where will you hide?

As far as Mikhail was concerned, Benjamin was way over his head in in trying to deal with Conan and Cassidy, and fiddling with the gangs as much as he was - but ever the master at mind games and reining control over others without them being any the wiser, Benjamin was pulling it off. For now. What Mikhail was even more worried about was the way that the man tended to lose some of his cool whenever something happened with Aralyn, and how all of his logical, methodical thinking could be fatally flawed by getting carried away with an overprotective zealousness for her. One slip up, particularly with the Volkovs, and he could find himself in a very unwelcome predicament, with all of his careful planning ruined.

Luckily, Aralyn's close attachment with Benjamin meant that she wasn't instantly shot at for daring to enter his yard without any forewarning. The Russian didn't dare point a gun at her, though that didn't mean he was any less annoyed that she chose his property to invade and his door to bang on right now. Keeping his thoughts to himself, Mikhail pushed himself up from his chair where he'd been going over some notes, and grudgingly opened the door, "Miss Sanchez, does your father know you are here?" The patch-eyed face, set so high on his lofty frame, stared down with cool indifference at the tearful girl, showing little in the way of empathy towards her. Just about anyone else would have been at least compelled to ask why she was crying, but not Mikhail.

I need the rush
There's nowhere you could hide before you die
Why won't you face me?
I can see the fear that's in your eyes
Where will you run?
Where will you hide?

Aralyn

Her breath hitched slightly. No. Ben doesn't know I'm here. Mikhail. I need a favor from you. She had no idea she was going to do this, to out right lie to her father about this. But she knew that her father wasn't exactly the most loved citizen in the community, and he had a lot of enimies. She had a feeling that whatever she did as well could bring problems to her father. Something about Damian she had recognized, but what it was she didn't know. I was raped by a man, Mikhail, a russian. I recognized something about him, but I'm not quite sure what it is. I need to keep this from Ben, but I want to find out who the man is and... Find my own way to take care of it. She thought briefly of the two bad boys in town, the russian mob meets the italian mob. Griffen Santosa owed Aralyn a slight favor. And she was going to call him out on it. I need fire power, Mikhail. And if dad asks you whose the baby's father is, I want you to lie. She was asking a lot of the man, but she trusted Mikhail. If Ben trusted him, there had to be some good qualites to the man. Well. Goodish.

Mikhail Bakunin

That single eye of his bore harshly down at Aralyn, weighing her words and the state of emotion she was in. He took everything she said in a stoic, unmoving manner, and when he finally did speak, it was in an even tenure, "I cannot lie to your father." Something in his facade shifted, and after a second of thought, the man relented a little and finished off, "However, providing he does not outright ask me, I will not tell him what you have told me." His allegiance was unshakably for Ben, but where his daughter was concerned, he could afford her a little leeway, perhaps. "I can aid you in identifying and locating the man, and to some extent, I can offer some weaponry. Do you have anything in mind?"

Aralyn

Guns. God, she didn't know guns. She bit her lower lip for a moment and began to think. I want something thats going to do a lot of damage, but won't slow me down if I need to carry it over long distances. She respected Mikhail for what he was doing. She knew that Ben was a 'scary' person, to everyone else and she understood that. Well.. No she didn't. It hurt her just a bit because she knew Ben really was a good person. Right? I'll tell Ben everything after the problem is taken care of. She murmured softly, her mind working fast. First, she had to explain why she was pregnant. God, how was she going to explain that? Hide it? No, no she would see Ben when her stomach would start to show. Lie? God, but she hated lying to her father. Got any ideas for... Hiding it? She asked softly.

Mikhail Bakunin

Still, the slightly off-kilter man didn't show an ounce of emotion when she described what she needed. His mind was currently running over what sort of weapons he had, and what... wait, why was he even considering giving Ben's daughter a deadly weapon?! If she hurt herself, and Ben found out... he'd end up dead, and tossed in the pit with all the rest of them. And yet - he couldn't just turn her away and refuse to help. Nor could he imagine himself trying to explain to Ben why Arayln had come to him first. Mikhail's face hardened, and though his gut was telling him not to, he cleared his throat and answered evenly, "Come inside for a moment, and I will find you something."

After ushering her in, or at least leaving the front door open so that she could step in if she wished, the Russian disappeared into a nearby room and rooted about through a series of crates. It took only a minute or two before he returned, holding out a small, silvery handgun and explaining cautiously, "Taurus Tracker - lightweight, hardhitting, and accurate. See here?" Mikhail flipped the barrel open and tapped his index finger at the loaded bullets, "You have five bullets, Speer .44, which should be four more than you need." 'Click!' He pushed the barrel back, and turned the weapon about for her to take hold of, "It has a good kick to it, and is loud enough to take your hearing for a few seconds." Well, explaining the weapon was the easy part. The next question however... not so easy. Mikhail straightened up, glancing briefly at her midsection that had yet to show anything, "I'm afraid I cannot help you with that one.."

Aralyn

Her hand took the gun cautiously and she looked it over for a moment. Guns were not her thing. In fact, they kind of scared her. But she was so tired of men taking everything from her, taking her down piece by piece and making her feel lower then dirt. Her eyes narrowed slightly, and then she looked up to Mikhail. Thank you for everything, Mikhail. She kissed his cheek, already preoccupied as she slid the gun into the back of her jeans, making sure the safety was on. She'd be careful. But now... Now she was going to ask for the hugest favor ever from a little Indian...