"Sure, I can do that." Sasha said softly, watching Sayuri as she settled in and closed her eyes.
---
((FF))
It had been about a half hour or so and Sasha was admittedly a bit surprised that Sayuri had fallen asleep so deeply so quickly if the near imperceptible sound of her sleepy breathing or the gentle twitching of her lashes on her cheeks as she perhaps chased a dream was any indication. It was one thing to sleep in front of him in the hotel room, but it was something totally different to be asleep in front of others, Sasha thought. She looked wholly vulnerable like that, without a care or worry as if they weren't on the run. At that thought, Sasha found a warm feeling building up in his chest that perhaps her willingness to rest like this in a crowded train was because she felt comfortable enough to do so with him at her side. It was a presumptuous thought, but Sasha hoped that he could be someone to put her at ease.
The scenery outside of the train hadn't changed much, even after the first stop. It was all mostly rural countryside and rice paddies with little houses and townships dotting the hills in the distance. It was much different than what he was accustomed to having spent the majority of his days in a bustling city, but there was something charming about it all the same. It reminded him of snowed in days in the more rural estates his family owned in Russia or even spending time taking care of the property his Papa Navrik built for his Mama Havania. It was peaceful and slow, the prospect of these hillside homes being inviting.
He was almost too caught up in his reverie as three men in suits entered the car and began walking the aisle, but the way they seemed to be prowling just within his periphery pulled him to attention. He discretely watched as they looked carefully into every pocket of tables and chairs. Even if he hadn't found that suspicious, their manner of gaudy dress would have alerted him. The suits they wore were not the standard Japanese business man type, but were showy and borderline ostentatious with patterned shirts and one of them even sporting a red suit jacket. It was clear to him they were Yakuza and probably on the lookout for them.
Without being obvious, he moved his hand to gently tap his knuckles against Sayuri's hip, hoping she would rouse without fuss and drawing attention to them. _________________ Butts n' butts n' butts n' butts.
Sayuri fell asleep easily, chasing the fantasy of freedom with intention. She did feel safe with Sasha, at this point she felt their fates were intertwined; be it for a fleeting moment or longer, Sayuri felt they both had each other’s best interest in mind. Had she been a different person, Sayuri might consider the nuances of their agreement and the archetypes they were fulfilling as a damsel and a white knight. But Sayuri wasn’t a girl who had convictions about that sort of thing, she would take advantage of any opportunity. Although this felt different in the way that they were friends, if you could call it friendship. Sayuri knew she liked Sasha, that she thought he was good looking and funny, even when he isn’t trying to be. What she liked most about him, was the feeling of his fingertips upon her temple when he thought she was already sleeping. She thought about that little window in the shared attic space above the bar, had she been permitted to bask in its moonlight, she thought it might feel like that. Sleeping on the train, tucked under the safety of his guard; she secretly yearned for his touch like she yearned for the moonlight.
Although she didn’t feel Sasha’s touch now, not at first. His touch was too light, and her sleep was a little too deep. Another gentle tap at her hip though awoke her with a start. She jolted with a sharp gasp, a hand flying up and hitting Sasha’s face. It dawned on her almost upon contact where she was and who she was with; it was sobering.
“Oh my god, I am so sorry.” She was quick to apologize, wincing sympathetically. She wasn’t being especially loud, but not as quiet as she should be if yakuza were prowling. But she hadn’t noticed them yet, still grounded in the idea of an uneventful train ride.
Sasha's gaze was fixated on the yakuza as they continued to inspect the alcoves in the car, so when Sayuri's hand rose up and smacked him in the face, he let out a little yelp of surprise and jolted. If it had been any other circumstance, it was incredibly likely that no one would have even bat an eye at Sayuri or Sasha at their noise, neither were particularly loud even in the overall quiet of the car. However, this wasn't just any circumstance, they were on the run and their pursuers were actively looking for them. So, in the same moment Sayuri began her apologizing and in the same moment the yakuza all looked their way, Sasha hastily grabbed at Sayuri's wrist and hauled her up before shoving her in front of him to head the other way.
"Go, go, we need to go!" He urged, pressing at her back to get her going. _________________ Butts n' butts n' butts n' butts.
Sayuri was a quick study, so even though she had just woken up from a nice sleep, she could parse the gravity of her waking situation very quickly. Familiar scents entered her nostrils before her eyes found familiar figures just behind them as Sasha shoved her to her feet. Sayuri didn’t know everyone who was yakuza, but she did know these guys; they frequented the bar, even dated some of the girls upstairs. So when she saw them for the briefest of moments over her shoulder, she knew that they saw her too. It occurred to her then, that sunglasses and hats did little in terms of a disguise when you had a unique zigzag pattern of moles across your face. She reached down and took Sasha’s hand again, it went from him shoving her along, to her now dragging him behind her. She was thankful then, for how spacious the train car was. There were many rows of seats, but there was still a clear path to traverse in the middle of the aisle, not clogged at all with luggage or the feet of passengers. They did garner a lot of attention as they ran through, lots of people looking up with surprise and concern.
She ran through sections of train, thankfully not running into any attendants yet. They passed doors of course, but Sayuri knew that if there wasn’t a well timed stop, being by the doors would only trap them. They entered an empty train car now, there were no passengers here yet. Sayuri looked out the window and didn’t really recognize where they were, she looked to Sasha then.
“When did the train stop last?” She asked him, her intention was to calculate how long until their next stop.
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum