Author's note: "Tomáš" is pronounced 'TOH-mahsh'
Gilder stared out the window of the locomotive. A light flurry of flakes flutterd to the ground. Gilder thanked himself silently. Despite his extra-curricular activites with his money, he was fairly good at managing what was left over. After selling the horse that the blacksmith in Ivore had given him to escape he had enough for a train ride. A sleeper car no less. He figured it was money well spent. It was a long ride and he was going to need the rest what with the long road ahead of him.
"Another stroke of luck," he thought to himself. What are the chances that blacksmith would be so giving. Gilder would have send a little something Ash's way once he got things straightend out. Gilder couldn't help but think for a second about how many times he narrowly escaped a calamity. And how he might think about changing how he ran his life.
That was for another day, though. Right now he had to find Sacha. Even the scenery was a reminder of Sacha. The pure white snowscapes had a beauty about them. He couldn't help but reminded of his partner's perfect locks. And those eyes. Those dual colored eyes. An analogy for Sacha's personality. Sometimes Sacha was up for being close and personal. The other times? Mood. Always mood. The was this unspoken nature between the two when things got intimate. Being with someone was when Gilder was most at peace. He showed his affection in a personal matter. What started out as two people just going for a tumble...
"I'm an idiot," Gilder muttered to himself. He wished he noticed just how much Sacha's mood changed when they were like that together.
Hours passed. The landscape now had a thicker level of snow. Gilder would be at his destination soon. This train was headed to ice country. Cermatka. Where Sacha was originally from. Gilder had been a few times. Good thing, too. Gilder had picked up a bit of the language. He also knew of a good place to start looking for Sacha.
Gilder breathed in deeply as he segued from the station to the streets. The air was noticeably easier to breath up here. It made Gilder feel clean. The crunch of the snow beneath his boots keeping rhythm with his stride. Gilder was a tanned pallette juxtopositioned out among the denizens roaming the streets. His height and noticeably deeper skin tone had a way of doing that. Especially here in Cermatka where people had a bit more fair complexion. Normallcy was something he strived for in his line of work. Not sticking out too much. Life had a way of making that difficult for him.
Half an hour of walking had led him to his destination. A well kept, yet, nondescript two story building on a side street. A sign above the front with words 'Prádelna Edorovka' informed Gilder he was at the right place.
"Hello?", Gilder asked as her walked through the door. A counter before him. Stacks of clean laundry sleeping on the shelves behind said counter. The place had a fresh scent to it. Like a meadow after a spring rain. "Be out in a minute!", a female voice from the back exclaimed. After a few seconds a gorgeous woman about 20 years his senior appeared.
"I'm both surprised and not suprised to see you here," the woman stated with a smirk as she sized Gilder up. Sacha's mother was as straightforward as Sacha. "Happy to see you too, Marina", Gilder smiled back.
"Long trip?"
"Not too bad. Took the train."
"Suddenly flush with cash?"
"Hardly. I save some in case something comes up."
"Like if something happens between you and my son?"
Straightforward. "Sacha only comes back unnanounced when something is bothering him." Gilder stuttered at her analytical skills, "Yeah...uh...we...kinda had an argument about a job...and stuff." That was Gilder's way of being vague. Referring to parts of his life as 'stuff'. Just like he cut trees and 'stuff'. The less people knew, the better. "It must wear on you two being bounty hunters," Marina inquired. Gilder froze for a moment. He didn't want to let her know what he and Sacha actually did for a living. There was actually a lot about he and Sacha that he didn't want Marina knowing for fear of how she'd react. "It can be...exhausting." Gilder himself wasn't sure if he meant work or being with Sacha or both.
"Perhaps you should rest here tonight, Gildar."
"Oh...well, I wouldn't want to put you out like that, Marina. Besides I need to figure out where Sacha is."
"He's at the cabin."
"Huh...that will be a bit of a trek wouldn't it?"
"Yes. It will. You'll need to start early tomorrow morning. Now head upstairs and get comfy on the couch. Unless perhaps you'd care to share a bed..."
A sheepish grin came across Marina's face. A wave of nervousness flushed over Gilder's visage. He had always had a thing for Marina. She may be at the half-century mark but she hardly looked it. Her skin flawless. Silky flowing hair. Lithe body. It was clear where Sacha got his good looks from. No, no, no. You horny bastard. You know better. Gilder knew there was a line. And he knew not to cross it. Besides, she was probably being facetious. Probably. Maybe. Maybe not. "Couch will do," Gilder quickly responded as he turned towards the stairwell in the back and made his way upstairs.
Once upstairs Gilder made a beeline for the couch. In one motion he undid his sword sheath, threw off his coat and plopped on the couch. The warmth emitting from the fireplace gave him a sense of peacefulness. The place wasn't terribly fancy but it was spacious enough as it it sat directly above the laundry downstairs. There was a slight air of class about it, too. Sacha may not have been much on spending cash, but he had always made sure to get his money's worth when he did. That floofy coat may have been a touch on the gaudy side, but it did it the job keeping Sacha warm. And hiding things.
Gilder breathed in deeply. At this point he just wanted to enjoy the quiet before the storm. He'd have all day tomorrow to think about what to say to Sacha. Right now, it was quiet time. The quiet led to him taking in his surroundings. He noticed a picture frame on the end table next to the couch. The man looked like a gruffer version of Sacha. He was wearing a military uniform and even had the same heterochromatic eyes. "Tomáš," Gilder uttered. It was Sacha's father, Tomáš Edorovka. Sacha had only mentioned him in passing. Never terribly negative or positive. Barely at all to garner much about the man. He had died in battle when Sacha was young.
Gilder had been too engrossed in studying the picture to notice Marina had made her way up from downstairs. She sat next to Gilder startling him for a second. Gilder quickly turned his head to face Marina.
"Big man easily distracted," Marina started. Gilder smirked back, "Dammit...you're a sneaky one. Now I where Sacha learned to be covert." Marina seemed to study Gilder for a few seconds. Analyzing him. Trying to confirm suspicions she had.
"You and my son had a disagreement about a job, yes?
"Yeah. I told him it was too dangerous."
"For being bounty hunters, you two always seem to be the ones on the run."
Gilder gulped, "Yeah..."
Marina cocked her head, "You two are not bounty hunters, are you?"
"No. No, we're not. We do much dirtier work."
Marina sighed deeply. "My Aleksander..." Gilder knew he was about to hear something if Marina was referring to Sacha by his full name. "...he's just like his father."
"Oh?", Gilder replied.
"Tomáš may not have been the most outwardly emotional man. But he did nothing but care for me. Every cent he earned in the military he sent right back here. I was able to purchase this laundry with what the government paid out after he died in that war. That war that kept Cermatka free. My son grew up with no guidance except to take care of responsibility. That's how Tomáš was. I wish my son had chosen a better line of work...but I know why he did it. He may not have been around much as he got older, but he always made sure I was taken care of."
"Stubborn men, eh?"
"Headstrong."
"His father's son from I can gather."
Marina grinned at the comparison.
"You seem to stick with him."
"It's not easy. He's a moody little bastard sometimes."
Marina looked down for a moment, pieceing things together. She looked at Gilder. "Gildar...", she queried in the same accented pronounciation as Sacha. "...are you and my son more than just business partners?" Gilder countered, "Well, yeah we're pretty good friends. We've been through some stuff." "Gildar," Marina paused, "that's not what I mean." Gilder froze. He had no problem if people knew about his inclinations, but he wasn't comfortable sharing Sacha's personal life with others. Even if it was Sacha's mother.
Gilder scratched the back of his head trying to garner a proper response. He breathed deeply, "Uh...well...to be honest that's kind of what our argument was really about. I...well..." Gilder was trying to find his words. It's not easy telling a woman about your incredibly intimate relationship with her son. "Sacha and I sort of had a casual thing. What with living on the road like we do. And well I was having this ongoing thing with this...um...courtesan in Ivore. I think I may have inadvertandly hurt Sacha. I didn't realize how much he was in to me like that. And, well, yeah that's sort of where we all now. We sort of grazed over how we felt about each other, but then the job went South. And we had to bail right quick and said argument happened about everything and...yeah."
Gilder put his face in his hands. He was still wrapping his head around how everything transpired. He had a casual nature about himself and life threw him a curveball that required him to go about certain things if he wanted to keep Sacha in his life.
"Are all the men of Cermatka like this?", Gilder finally said. Marina nodded. "They tend to hide their emotions," she replied. "They have gruff exteriors, but are good people on the inside. A product of the environment up here. Brave the cold, but be hospitable when it matters."
"I know what I got to do tomorrow."
"Gildar needs rest."
"Heh, yeah I do."
"You're a good man. You're good for my son. You balance him." Marina got up from the couch. "Good night, Gildar. I'll have some food prepped in the morning for you. Now get some sleep. You have long day ahead of you."
Gilder couldn't help but notice just how motherly she was to him. He was going to get his man. Come hell or high water. He was happy with Sacha. And despite his efforts to hide his emotions, Sacha seemed happy with Gilder.