updated

4/4/2014

eagles and hawks

They stopped for coffee and strolled around Forest Park, aimlessly and wordlessly. Every now and then she would point to something and ask for the English term, which he obliged in exchange for the Russian equivalent. Lake, rose, fountain. Bridge, road, swan.

He offered her his arm. Passerby watched them. He took these looks to be impertinent and invasive and couldn't understand what they did to garner them. He was almost alarmed until a tiny, bespectacled old woman with shopping bags shuffled past them. She tilted her tiny chin up, put her tiny hand on her heart, and said to them in her tiny old voice, "So beautiful! So beautiful!"

Innochka grinned.

"Beautiful, beautiful!" the old lady chirped happily. Mordecai watched her toddle off, thunderstruck.

His mind swam. He knew, objectively, that he was generally considered quite handsome, and that Innochka was very attractive, but together they must have looked nothing short of stunning. Watching people watching them took on an entirely new dimension. Men, in particular, were interesting. Their eyes settled on her and brightened, then moved to him and faded in sour retreat. Their look of what he now knew was jealousy made him feel quite the peacock.

He suddenly understood something about Asa and Mitzi he hadn't even realized confused him till now. Asa used to call his wife "the jewel upon my arm." Mordecai hadn't realized he meant it somewhat literally. Apparently expensive cufflinks and a perfect Windsor knot had nothing on a beautiful woman when a man wanted to let the world know his standing. All the other ladies in the park were ugly! No wonder he'd become an object of envy with Innochka by his side! He felt lordly. Regal. He patted her hand where it rested on his arm and lifted his chin in pride.

Innochka slowed to a stop as something caught her attention. She pointed to a tall domed structure made of metal mesh.

"What is?" she asked.

"That's the flight cage," he said. "The aviary. Birds."

"Berd?"

"Birds. You know. Tweet tweet." He pointed upwards.

"Ah! Tweet tweet. Ptitsy."

"P'teet-seh?"

"Mmhmm. Go to see?" she asked, pulling him towards the cage.

He'd never been inside the flight cage. He knew it was built for the 1904 World's Fair but that was the extent of it. Inside there was a decorative stone path, on either side of which were trees filled with every manner of chirping, chittering birds, all different colors and shapes. They flew about freely within the structure.

She smiled. "So much birds! Ah!" She pointed at a blue, yellow, and red creature with a hooked beak. "Is - is - " she wrestled for the word for a moment before giving up and turning her attention to a proud blue peacock, who fanned his tail when she stepped close.

Mordecai looked up, watching birds glide overhead, silhouetted against the sun. He'd never been one for small, docile birds such as this. He preferred eagles and hawks. Predators. But of course they couldn't house predatory raptors in this aviary. Soon the eagles and the hawks would have the cage all to themselves, having killed off their weaker peers.

You're the impartial blade on which nature cuts the wheat from the chaff." Atlas's words suddenly rose from the deeper parts of Mordecai's mind. He smirked.

Innochka looked up into a tree, her back to him, her long neck stretched. She rose onto her toes in a practiced, balletic fashion, her wrists arched gracefully at her sides. She looked for that instant like the subject of a painting. Her body was hourglass shaped, which gave the scene a side-to-side symmetry, split perfectly by her long black braid. The lush green leaves of the tree above her and manicured mound of stone-lined grass it sat upon provided a vertical symmetry. For a moment everything was right with the world. Reality was a postcard.

He sighed.

She titled her head to get a better look at something in the tree, causing the black braid to swing, ruining the effect. Annoyance swept through him like a forest fire. Damn that braid! It was as though she were asking to be killed! It made it far too easy for an assailant to get a hold on her, strangle her, rape her. How could she be so stupid for the sake of feminine vanity? He stalked up to her, grabbed the braid, and gave it a little tug.

She whirled to face him. "Eh?"

"Cut this," he ordered.

"Kut-?" she asked, not understanding.

He made his index and middle finger into scissors and closed them over the braid. "Snip snip."

She laughed and shook her head. "No, no."

"No!?" he snapped. "You think this is funny? Do you understand how dangerous this is? If we weren't in public I would show you! This will get you killed!" he hissed, white knuckling her braid, the end upturned in his fist like a lanky flower.

"Stop this," she said, forcing her hair from his grasp and stepping back. She let the braid fall over her shoulder, her hand resting on it protectively. She titled her chin up and looked down her nose at him. All at once this was the woman he'd first met in the Marigold ballroom, withdrawn and severe and staring at him as though he were an insect.

He held her gaze a moment. "It's a liability. You should listen to me."

She pinned him in place with her inscrutable glare. He shifted his weight, clasping his hands behind his back. She seemed to relax once his hands weren't in grasping range but gave no sign of lowering her guard. He stared back. They were at a stalemate.

This wouldn't do.

He felt the corner of his mouth tick ever so slightly into the beginning of a smile. He blinked slowly. Her jaw twitched but she reciprocated. It was only when she returned the secret handshake that he realized he'd done it at all.

She sighed, relaxing but still clearly annoyed.

"Apologies," he said.

"Yah," she replied, then pointed up. "Birds. Ok?"

"P'titsy," he replied. "Ok."

ooo

As the sun began to sink she took his arm and they wandered in the general direction of the exit. After a while their strides synchronized in a pleasing sort of way. As they walked around the lake the air took a cold turn, and Mordecai helped Innochka into her coat. As he did he noticed a great hulk of a man sitting on a bench. A small woman was next to him, with dark fur and little yellow shoes that absently kicked back and forth like a child's. She suddenly sat up straight and gestured to them, and the hulk turned.

Viktor. And the woman was Altlas's god-daughter, Ivy.

Adrenaline shot through Mordecai's viens before he realized that they were in public, so there was not much possibility of this meeting turning violent. No, it would be merely awkward. He took a deep breath and approached them.

Viktor grunted at him.

"Eloquent as ever, Viktor," he said. "Miss Pepper, a pleasure."

Her eyes went wide as though surprised he'd addressed her. "Hello again."

They all went quiet. Started at one another.

Who's your friend?" Ivy asked suddenly.

"Of course, how rude of me. This is Innochka. Innochka, these are Viktor and Ivy. Former associates of mine."

"Hello," Innochka said, demure. She took Mordecai's arm.

Viktor looked at her and his expression lightened the way most men's did. An odd twinkling began in Mordecai's chest. He blinked and held his breath as Viktor's eyes made their way over to him. He drew Innochka closer, waiting for Viktor's reaction.

His brow furrowed. He looked confusedly between them, then finally at Mordecai's face. His expression was priceless. Mordecai felt a slow glow move up through him as he smirked down at his former partner. He placed his hand possessively over Innochka's as if to say yes, this is mine, what of it?

Viktor's eyebrows raised.

"What brings you two to Forest Park this evening?" Mordecai asked.

"Ivy says, is nice day," Victor said.

"I'm trying to get this big oaf into the sun for once," Ivy said, slipping her arm through his, her white-gloved hand dwarfed against his massive forearm.

"A worthy endeavor," Mordecai said graciously. "How's the knee, Viktor?"

The hulking Slovak glowered up at him.

"Better all the time," Ivy said brightly.

"Glad to hear it. Well, we'd best be off. Have a pleasant evening. Give Mitzi my regards. And tell her thank you again."

"We will," Ivy said, scowling. "Bye."

"Goodbye," Innochka said softly. Mordcai felt Viktor's eyes following them. When they were out of earshot Mordecai couldn't help but grin. He'd managed to impress Viktor Vasko! Ha!

"You are happy!" Innochka said incredulously.

He chuckled. "Yes. Yes I believe I am. Oh, that was priceless," he sighed, reaching down to pat her hand. "You've quite the gift, Miss … what is your surname?"

"Eh?"

"Mordecai *Heller*," he said, pouting to himself. "Innochka … ?"

"Volvakov."

"Innochka Volvakov. Miss Volvakov."

"Mister Heller?"

He nodded.

"Is good," she said.

"Glad you approve," he replied, and they walked arm in arm through the night, towards the speakeasy.

ooo