Chapter Text
The Traveler's explanation left everyone present with headaches and visions of the afterlife.
Everyone, that is, except Alyosha.
(And maybe Mr. Dymov, who had taken the photo. And those two rich people. They looked confused and horrified instead of traumatized, just like Alyosha.)
Right after, the Traveler left in a hurry, Odette in tow. This prompted the others to leave as well, until only the rest of the Korolevskiy Troupe was left. They had to clean everything up, after all.
"What a crazy experience, right Alyosha? I'm so glad to see everyone is unharmed, but I'll miss Ptashka and Shram..." Vodyanitsa sighed as she wiped the stage make-up off her face.
Alyosha stood by the door of the greenroom, holding his gun in a relaxed grip, watching over her back. He doubted it would do anything to the so-called Ruler of Death, but he was still too on edge to remain still. If the thankful smile Vodyanitsa had shot him was anything to go by, she was in a similar state.
"Ptashka... The red haired girl, right?" Alyosha remembered glimpses of that red hair. So she had been one of the deceased... The other one was harder to put a face to.
Vodyanitsa paused minutely, before she continued wiping her mascara away. "Oh, right..." she mumbled.
Alyosha felt weirdly off-balance as Vodyanitsa turned quiet, shoulders hunched... guilty. It was very unlike her.
Alyosha didn't like it.
"Could you tell me about them?"
That was all it took. Vodyanitsa brightened up a bit, smile returning to her face.
"Of course! At first we thought Ptashka was named Tonia due to a misunderstanding, actually. And— oh! Shram was a mercenary who had been once involved with Auntie Ozerova, isn't that exciting? He loved to joke about his job and he gave everything for her. I'm so glad I got to meet them..."
Alyosha's grip on the gun became slack as he let his thoughts be taken by Vodyanitsa's voice. She kept bouncing around in the story, which made it confusing to understand, but Alyosha didn't mind. It was endearing.
They stayed like that well into the evening, talking. Dymov, Kulish and Rampana joined them halfway through to listen, until they had all learnt every single quirk and detail of the ones they had left behind. Of Shram's love, and Ptashka's excitement for life. Of the way they had taught Vodyanitsa about history, and the way they had helped her retain her will to live.
Later, they finally bid their farewells, eager yet bittersweet about leaving the theater. Alyosha hoped they'd come back. They had all made good memories as the Korolevskiy troupe before, so it was a shame that this one horrible experience was trampling all over the good ones. But well, he'd understand if they preferred not to return.
"Alyosha... come to my place?"
"Of course. I just need to check on Tugarin first."
"I'll accompany you."
...
"Alyosha?"
"Hm?"
"I'm so sorry."
Alyosha paused and turned to look at her. She was subdued once more. Guilty.
"I should've known it wasn't you. I—" She choked on her words. "I'm so sorry."
Alyosha enveloped her in his arms, silent as she shook against him. He wanted to reassure her, to say that he understood, but well... that would be a lie. He didn't resent her or Odette, of course not, but the situation was not 'okay', and he did not understand, so he would not tell her so.
"I forgive you."
The next days passed in a blur. Lelek—who was apparently Odette. Another thing he had missed and yet was expected to know—had been suspended from the Rokot. In a way, it was relieving to know that he and Vodyanitsa wouldn't have to hide anymore from her, and her from them in return.
Still, things had changed. Odette and Vodyanitsa had grown even closer together, and they had clearly expected Alyosha to fall in line with them. Alyosha just... couldn't. One moment the three of them would be together under Alyosha's roof, chatting and sharing a warm meal, and the next Alyosha would feel like a stranger in his own home, with his own favorite people.
The worst part about it was the fact that they expected him to understand. To know.
Alyosha was a good hunter; he was good at adapting. He could pretend that he did understand, that he had been the one who was there, and not the Grim Reaper. That his experience with the afterlife hadn't been filled with snow and wind, all too similar to the winter that had taken his family away. That his image hadn't been used to trick the ones he cared about the most.
He didn't want to pretend. Not with them.
"Alyosha, are you okay?" Odette's concerned voice brought him back to the present. Vodyanitsa and her were looking at him softly and patiently with a hint of worry. "You're spacing out again." Tugarin whined by his side, nudging his leg with his snout.
Alyosha absentmindedly pat his head in thanks. "I'm okay."
Odette and Vodyanitsa exchanged a glance before they turned back to him, skeptical.
Alyosha sighed. "I am, promise. It's just... hard."
"Hard?" Vodyanitsa tilted her head cutely. Odette kept staring, immobile. She had always put care into her movements, never letting a single one go to waste.
They both approached him as he stayed quiet, surrounding him from both sides and caging him in, sharing their heat. Alyosha couldn't help but deflate and lean into the soft contact. Tugarin quietly settled in front of the three of them, laying by their legs as he stared curiously at his owner.
Communication. Communication was important. Alyosha could do communication. "It's hard to understand. I feel like I missed an important part of... us." He sighed as he brought his knees closer to his face, warping his arms around his legs and accidentally nudging Tugarin. He gave him a scratch behind his ear in apology. "I guess the Grim Reaper took that away too."
Odette and Vodyanitsa leaned closer. Odette wrapped her arms around him while Vodyanitsa ran her fingers through his hair. Alyosha could only melt into it.
"I'm so sorry," Vodyanitsa said. It brought Alyosha back to that fateful day, a while after they had returned to the living. He hoped she wouldn't cry again. Odette's hold on him became firmer. "For not noticing your discomfort, I mean."
Alyosha shook his head. "It's not your fault."
"It's our fault we didn't notice," Odette spoke up this time, gentle yet sharp. A unique edge he had only ever seen in her. "We'll be more mindful."
"Thank you," Alyosha mumbled. He realized something shortly after. "I don't want you to avoid the topic or anything, just give me a bit of time to understand."
"Of course!" Vodyanitsa reassured, confident in her words. "That's the bare minimum! We'll explain everything along the way too. Anything you need." She nodded rapidly, her long hair rubbing against his side.
Alyosha gave a smile at the excitement, endeared.
Always endeared.
"If we don't realize, please don't hesitate to speak up," Odette added. Vodyanitsa nodded yet again.
Alyosha looked up, not surprised to find their faces peering at him from the sides. "I won't."
"Great!" Vodyanitsa smiled. "I won't let that Grim Reaper take you away from us. You're both mine. Hmph!" Her eyes closed as she puffed her cheek in annoyance. Cute.
Alyosha traded an amused look with Odette.
Still, it always felt nice to hear.
Later that night, it was Odette who brought it up.
"I think you should get to know Mitya."
Alyosha twisted in bed to face her, confused. His bed was small, so they were all pressed together, sharing their warmth.
This night, he had been forced to be in the middle, despite his protests. He always took the left side in his home, since it was closer to the door, but Odette had taken his place this time, claiming she'd be the one to watch over them. Alyosha had blushed, embarrassed that they had realized that that's why he did it.
Vodyanitsa used her arms to prop herself up over Alyosha, looking at Odette with a confused expression. "Mitya? Why?"
That had changed too. From Mr. Mitya to Mitya.
"And Mr. Valeriy," Odette added. "Mostly Mitya, though. He's the one who figured everything out, and he was a friend during the whole ordeal."
"Why not the Traveler, then?" he asked. They were the one they were the most familiar with after all.
Oh.
That was the point, wasn't it?
"Ah!" Vodyanitsa exclaimed in realization, eyes wide. "We grew closer together, but Alyosha wasn't there for it. I see, I see." She looked down at him, meeting his eyes with hers. They were round and kind. "You should totally get to know him! He's very smart, just like you. I think you'd fit well."
Smart wasn't the word Alyosha would give to describe himself; he hadn't even gotten a lot of formal education. This was a long lost battle though, so he kept quiet.
"It's someone we grew closer to, and he frequents the theater." Odette suddenly frowned. "Well, frequented. I haven't seen him around lately..."
Vodyanitsa and Alyosha shrugged. They hadn't seen him there lately either.
"Well, what do you think?" Odette asked gently, reaching for his hand. Alyosha let her intertwine their fingers, warmth rising in his chest.
He gave a small playful pout, for the dramatics. "Do I have to? He's the leading brain for Project Stuzha..."
"Which is currently canceled! It's the perfect time." Vodyanitsa's mind was set, which meant Alyosha would have to comply. He side-eyed Odette, who just gave him an amused smile. Fine then.
"Okay."
"Yes! I'll contact him! Just show up at Podvorye."
There again? Did it have to be the expensive restaurant? Alyosha opened his mouth to disagree—
"I'll pay for it," Vodyanitsa interjected quickly.
"No—"
"I'll make the Fatui pay for it."
Alyosha shut his mouth with a click. Damnit.
Odette looked way too smug for his liking. He mock-glared at her, which she returned with mischievous glinting eyes. Fine.
"Victory!" Vodyanitsa high-fived Odette above Alyosha, giggling and grinning.
Well, as long as they were happy, Alyosha could go out and make friends with the lead of Project Stuzha or whatever. They had made him do weirder things before.
Besides, Mitya seemed like a good guy overall. He had been willing to share information, despite knowing they had been fishing for it and that he could get in trouble with the Fatui for it. If nothing else, he would be a good point of intel to have.
Plus, Odette and Vodyanitsa clearly trusted him. That spoke well of his character.
Alyosha could get to know someone like that.
"Alyosha, hi!" Mitya grinned as he approached the table, the weirdly sentient scarf waving at him. Alyosha was immediately put-off by the familiarity. "Oh right! I know we haven't really interacted much before, but please don't feel the need to cut back on me. Any friend of 'the two crowning jewels' is a friend of mine, especially another member of the troupe." He grinned as he held a victory sign alongside his scarf.
Alyosha blinked, staring for a few beats before he nodded in agreement.
"Great! Oh, and none of that 'Mr. Mitya' thing here, just call me Mitya," he gave a closed eye smile as he sat down.
Alyosha nodded again. "I can do that."
"I'm glad." He stared earnestly for a few moments before he turned around towards the door to make a shooing motion. His scarf copied the movement.
Valeriy, instead of going away, walked closer. Mitya gave him an unimpressed look. "Hello, Alyosha. It's good to see you are doing well."
"Hello," he nodded. "You too." Another one he was supposed to know. Awkward.
Valeriy nodded back before he went back to guard the door by the restaurant, much to the staff's dismay.
Mitya put a hand on his forehead before he mumbled: "At least he's not dragging me back to work this time..."
Alyosha couldn't help but give an amused huff.
Mitya peeked at him through his fingers before he removed them completely. With his chin, he pointed towards a table behind Alyosha. Alyosha unfortunately knew exactly which one he was pointing at. "You too?"
Alyosha tried refrained from turnig around, knowing that Odette and Vodyanitsa were observing them not-so-subtly with their ridiculous disguises, which consisted of a ridiculously big hat, sunglasses, and a scarf. He sighed. "Yes."
Mitya gave a soft laugh. "It's nice to have friends who care, as embarrassing as they can be."
Alyosha softened, releasing the nervous tension from his shoulders. "I agree."
The waiter showed up to take their orders, but after he left they fell silent. Before it could get too awkward, Alyosha asked: "So why haven't we seen you around the theater more often? Vodyanitsa and Odette miss you. Is it because of what happened?"
Mitya's eyes went wide and sparkly. "They miss me?!" He shot the girls a quick look before he hunched down back on his seat. Then, he started to move it closer to Alyosha's. Once he was close enough, he whispered: "What makes you think so?"
Alyosha raised an eyebrow. "They talked about you."
Mitya shot back, as if struck. "They did?!" he whisper-shouted. He leaned closer again. "What about you? Would you like to see me there more often?" He looked at Alyosha through his eyelashes, looking almost shy.
Alyosha couldn't look away from that expression. He felt pinned under that gaze, soft and pleading.
Mitya raised his head to look at him properly, grin on his face. "Well?" His stare now held mischief, complementing his teasing tone.
Just like that, Alyosha became free of the spell those eyes had put him under. He raised an unimpressed eyebrow. "Sure."
Mitya finally leaned away, grinning cheerfully. Then, it fell away as a thought seemed to cross his mind. "Are you sure? I caused quite the situation last time."
Alyosha frowned. "What do you mean?"
"Apparently, I trigger the Curse of Death quite a bit." He chuckled humorlessly. "The theater was just another of those instances."
Alyosha's frown deepened. "Are you... blaming yourself? Is that why you're avoiding it?"
Mitya immediately raised his hands. Alyosha thought he could see a very familiar hint of red in one of them, but it was gone before he could process it properly. "No, no! What happened was just a tragic accident brought together by the Grim Reaper, the bad state of the ley lines, and... me."
A pause.
Alyosha deadpanned. "...right. Listen, just come by, I'm sure they'd like to see you. I thought you loved to watch their performances."
"I do! The problem is exactly that, actually..." Mitya pouted, looking at him meaningfully, like he wanted him to understand something.
Oh.
Yet another confirmation that he knew exactly who had been listening in back then. Alyosha wondered if he knew he and Vodyanitsa were with the Rokot. After Lelek's reveal, it wouldn't be that hard of a connection to make, even if their Rokot identities technically had nothing to do with Lelek.
Back in that first meeting in the restaurant, Mitya had said that he gained inspiration through the performances, hadn't he? Was he... scared that it would happen again? Was that the requirement to trigger the Curse of Death?
"Oh."
Mitya nodded. "See the problem? I'm currently on leave, actually. I can't even think about the Project to avoid endangering anyone else..."
Well, they had had their suspicions about the cancellation of Project Stuzha, and Mitya had all but just confirmed them. He didn't even seem surprised that Alyosha hadn't been surprised about that information.
Mitya had a really high opinion of them, didn't he? Not just as the theater troupe but as capable individuals. Maybe even as a group.
Alyosha felt something warm stir in his chest.
He gave Mitya an impressed look. "Banned from thinking? Now that's a funny thought."
"I know right?! I've been going crazy, honestly. Energy is my passion! I can't not think about it."
Alyosha gave that a thought. "The curse only happens when you think about that particular project, right?" Which— that was something that he'd have to run by his partners later. Just what was Project Stuzha about, that the Ruler of Death had to get involved? "You could do something else."
Mitya waved the waiter away as he took a sip of his newly brought drink. "Hm? Like what?"
"For example, Kresnik Crystal has been a limited supply in Snezhnaya for a long time now." Mitya adopted a serious expression at those words. Good. Alyosha leaned forward, quite serious himself. "You could volunteer to do something there. Maybe find a way to tinker with the torches to make them more eff—"
"—more efficient! So that people need less crystal for more energy! That's a genius idea, Alyosha!" Mitya had gone all bright eyed as he looked at him gratefully.
Alyosha felt his cheeks warm up. It wasn't even that big of an idea. "Since there's an abundance of it right now, it shouldn't be too hard to find some to experiment with."
Mitya nodded rapidly while he wrote some things down on his notebook. Alyosha hadn't even seen him take it out. "Of course, of course!" Behind him, his scarf have a thumbs up to Alyosha, as if giving its approval. Alyosha didn't know how to feel about it.
Mitya snapped the notebook shut before he looked at him, intense and grateful. "Thank you so much Alyosha, you saved me there."
"From boredom?"
"From boredom!" He nodded seriously. "And from thinking about the whole thing, you know?" He sighed wistfully. "I might even be able to go to watch the performances without any worry now... Maybe I could bring Valeriy again, he needs the positive experience..." He redirected his attention back to Alyosha. "Thank you, really. This means a lot to me."
Alyosha was trapped in that gaze again. So soft and bright. "You're welcome."
Mitya gave him a final smile before he clapped. "Now! Tell me about yourself! You're a hunter, right? Is the hunt for knowledge similar to actual hunting? Oohh actually, do you eat the prey you hunt? It must be delicious... Could I try it sometime?"
Alyosha tilted his head to the side slightly, trying to process the onslaught of questions. Mitya's lips twitched up at the motion. "Sure," Alyosha finally answered.
"Thank you! Now please do tell me more. How did you meet the famous 'two crowning jewels of the Korolevskiy Troupe'? Was it on a hunt? Is that why you got a job at the theater?"
Alyosha brightened at the topic of conversation. "No. Actually, you have it backwards: I worked there first, and then we just happened to get closer..."
Conversation kept flowing easily after that.
"I wanna be there too..." Vodyanitsa muttered as she stared at where Alyosha and Mitya were huddled together, laughing freely. She chewed on her fork as she grumbled nonsensical words.
Their backs were to them, but Odette had seen Alyosha pull out the pictures of Tugarin he always kept on him, so he was definitely sharing some stories about him.
"They have gotten pretty close," Odette commented. "The Tugarin effect," she concluded to herself.
"Tugarin?" Valeriy asked. Odette and Vodyanitsa had practically dragged him away from the door to join them, much to his dismay; he had loved that space by the door. She wondered if Alyosha and Mitya had noticed.
"Alyosha's dog," Odette answered since Vodyanitsa was still in her own world. "He's a husky, and Alyosha's closest companion. He helps out on his hunts." A pause. "He's also very cute," she added with a final nod.
"I see," Valeriy hummed. "I'm more of a bear person myself."
Odette wondered if she heard that right. "...bears?"
"Yes."
A pause. No elaboration.
Okay then.
"That's nice," Odette said.
"They are," Valeriy nodded, a hint of fondness in his voice.
"AaaaAH! Odette, why did we organize this?! Mitya didn't even pay attention to my performance last time! All his attention was on—" A dramatic gasp. "On you! He's going to steal both of you away from me! I will not let this stand! I'm going, right now—"
Odette sighed as she grabbed Vodyanitsa's hand, failing to fully contain her smile at the dramatics.
Vodyanitsa fell silent as she looked at their interlocked hands. After a while, she mumbled: "I guess it can wait... Alyosha is smart and he can take care of himself, he'll be alright."
Odette's smile softened. "Of course he will. It's just Mitya."
"Right! Right."
Valeriy hid his amusement with a light cough. What a strange group, it would suit Mitya just fine.
"This was a very pleasant lunch, Alyosha. Thank you for the company." Mitya smiled. Then, he gave a small snicker. "Much better than the time you were hiding from me."
Alyosha deadpanned. "I was going to say 'me too' but now I'm not so sure."
"A shame, I suppose," Mitya gave a playful remorseful sigh. "Well, I'll be going now—" Mitya turned to look at the door. "Where's the Sarge...?" His eyes trailed behind Alyosha. "Oh."
Alyosha raised an eyebrow before he twisted around, unimpressed at the sight before him.
Vodyanitsa and Odette stood in front of Valeriy holding up their ridiculously big hats in a futile attempt to hide his bulky frame. Valeriy stood motionless, letting them.
Mitya gasped dramatically. "Vodyanitsa? Odette? I didn't know you were here! Have you seen Valeriy?" Alyosha had to bite his lip to hide his grin.
Vodyanitsa's aura darkened, although her expression remained neutrally polite. Slowly, she lowered her hat down, revealing Valeriy's unimpressed expression. "I see you're messing with us, Mitya. Is this all you have to say after not showing up to see my performances?"
Mitya immediately flailed. "Wait, no! I'm sorry Vodyanitsa. It's really nice to see you again! You know I love your performances!"
"Really? That's not what you said last time..." Her smile grew threateningly.
"No, no! You have it all wrong. Of course I love them! In fact, I owe my life to your singing! You know this!"
Vodyanitsa struck an innocent-looking thinking pose. "Hmm... Do I?"
"Of course you do!"
Odette was facing away from the display, covering her mouth as she giggled softly. Alyosha was also endearingly amused. Valeriy held his hand to his forehead, exasperated.
Before Vodyanitsa could keep teasing him, Odette spoke up. "Will you come to the Korolevskiy theater, then? I'll be performing Spirit Seeker next week. It will be the real premiere show, this time."
"I..." Mitya averted his eyes to the side, looking right at Alyosha. Alyosha put a hand on his shoulder, leaning closer to him, offering silent support. Mitya smiled before he looked back at Odette. "I will."
Odette's eyes softened as her smile grew minutely. "That's good to hear."
That night, Alyosha slept alone.
He had been in a heavy snowstorm when the sky started bleeding red.
First, it had been the simple sunset bathing the cool-toned scenery in warmth. Then, the harsh winds had pierced through the sky's veil, opening up like wounds. Red viscous liquid gathered at the center before it dropped down like tears, painting the snow with vivid color.
Just like his prey's last breath before they too, painted the snow with their blood. Alyosha was familiar.
The liquid gathered inside the biggest gash as it started swirling around, forming a spherical shape with strange pointed patterns.
An eye.
More followed, slowly filling the sky with eyes. At once, they turned to look straight at him.
Then, the feeling of sinking through the melting snow, and a helpless fight against it. Before he got completely pulled under, familiar boots stood in front of him.
Alyosha lifted his head, wincing at the bloody snow licking at his chin.
A familiar face staring back at him—his face staring back at him, reaching for Alyosha's eyes, covering them with freezing cold skin.
Finally, darkness. Back to nothingness once more.
...
Alyosha gasped as he shot awake, Tugarin at his side. He panted for a while, trying to keep within his grasp the dream that was quickly fading away from him.
He looked at Tugarin, focusing on the little accessory.
Red...
A red rounded shape with two pointed edges...
Like blood itself, the essence of life... and death.
Extremely familiar, to the point where he was sure he had seen it very recently. But where...?
...
It had been on a hand.
Mitya's hand.