Perfectly Innocent

Muggle Police Station
Somewhere in Moscow

A dull tapping sound filled the otherwise silent holding cell as the girl's foot swung back and forth, hitting the wall with each swing. the girl herself gazed duly at wall, bored. There was not a lot one could do in one of those cells aside from wait for someone to get them out. That was what the witch was doing right now.

After the fiasco caused by the girl with the bright blue hair and having calmed her anger after being pulled into this mess, the Slushatel has allowed the rational mind that she was known for to do it's work.

No one had any right or reason to hold her here, and even if they did, Ksenia's actions wouldn't have been any different.

When finally left alone in this cell, she had taken out the two-way mirror that Silas has given her and sent him a message. He was not the only person she could have contacted, but he was the first one that came to her mind. The witch was aware that no one would be happy to assist her in this rather trivial situation and one the one hand asking the person you are going to marry to get you out of a police station after only seeing them twice was not appropriate under the regulations of proper pureblood conduct. But she hadn't done anything to earn herself the fate that she was faced with now apart from walking through a plaza at a time of a riot. She was perfectly innocent.

Another tap sounded and the witch tilted her head up, leaning it against the wall, her posture becoming slouched in her seat, her eyes closing as she waited.

Silas had paid Ksenia's bail.

True, he could have broken her out with laughable ease, but there was little need for it. The fine hadn't even been that much. In any case, from what he'd heard, she had been in quite enough mischief already.

Following a guard back to the holding cells, the man paused outside the one holding his future wife. Silas folded his arms across his chest and gave her an amused smirk.

"Having fun?" he asked.

The witch smirked as she heard that voice. "Oh, yes. Now I am." She rose from her seat, not even looking at the police offer as he opened the door of the cell she was in. She slipped out and came to stand beside Silas.

"Thank you for your help. It was getting rather boring sitting in a cell all by myself with nothing to do," she said as she dusted off the dirt from her clothing. The Slushatel didn't think they ever cleaned those rooms.

"Perhaps you ought to have considered that before getting caught in the midst of a revolt," Silas replied. Taking her by the elbow, he steered her around in front of him, a hand coming to rest at the small of her back. "Let us be gone, then. There are far more important matters to attend."

The officer escorted them out again. Once they had made their way outside of the station, Silas pulled the girl to him, an arm coming up to wrap across her shoulders. Then, he turned, apparating them to a park. He let her go.

"Nice, isn't it?" Silas asked. "This park is a favorite of my sister's."

Ksenia huffed slightly at his words. "I never intended to be caught in the middle of a riot. They threw flour at me. Most riots are idiotic led by idiotic people who do not have the mental capacity to do something more practical about the problem they are facing," she rambled as he led her forward. She moved along with him. It felt completely comfortable and natural as his hand went to her elbow and then to her back. There was no hesitation or awkwardness in their movements

Her expression grew more serious at his next words and she nodded her head, looking ahead. If one were to look at the couple now they would come to the conclusion that the had been in a relationship for quite some time now.

They apparated out of the police station and to the park. She turned to face Silals after he let go of her shoulders. "I hope I didn't interrupt anything important when I contacted you," she said as her hand brushed off the stray flour off his chest that has settled there from her own clothing when they apparated.

Silas looked amused. "You'd be shocked by how many riots are far more than what they appear," he remarked, tone quiet.

She comported herself well. Silas appreciated that attribute. The man had no interest in a frail flower in need of excessive nurturing, rare ability or not. His life was full of things which demanded his attention, he din't need another.

"Not at all," Silas responded smoothly. "You are my intended, are you not? There is little that competes with your importance. Which brings us to our first order of business."

The man withdrew a velvet box from his pocket and handed it to her. "I believe I have found a ring that suits you perfectly."


Ring:

Spoiler:

"Oh, I understand that. It's just not the way I want to think about it after getting pushed into the middle of one," Ksenia muttered.

"I am," she smiled at him as she said those words. "But I do not want to become a nuisance. And honestly, getting bailed out of a muggle police station is not something I have thought would ever be needed to be done, especially by my future husband," she murmured, her tone becoming softer and more serious. No matter how comfortable she felt in his presence at the moment, the awkwardness of the situation that she had ended up in was still floating in her mind.

Her hand in the meantime has come to rest on his chest. She didn't even think about, it was just a right place for it to settle after she had brushed the flour off his clothes.

The Slushatel turned her gaze down from his face to the box he was holding, dropping her hand from his chest in order to take it. She looked at the box for a few moments, not opening it, before looking back up at him. "And what if I refuse to take it?" her smirk returned to her face, her blue orbs shining with a flirtatious glint. “After all,” she drawled, “what girl accepts an engagement ring without a single kiss?” Her head cocked to the side as she took a step backwards, her smirk growing.

"That is entirely up to you," Silas responded seriously. "As to your question, there is a rather broad assortment of couples who've been engaged without having ever met before their wedding day. Even today."

He held a hand out for the box. "If you don't want it, you may return it. I purchased it only because I had promised you one." The man regarded her placidly, unmoved by her teasing, hand patiently extended.

"Hmm," Ksenia looked back down at the unopened box in her hand once again. A soft smirk still curled her lips upwards slightly, yet the rest of her expression became cool. "Well I suppose I can't refuse the ring without even looking at it," she murmured before opening the box. A part of her has faltered a bit at his completely unemotional response to her flirting but that was quickly pushed to the side. She has never been one to flirt before and the fact that this man, her future husband, did not react to it at all proved that she was right in doing what she did before.

"It's beautiful," she couldn't help but smile as she held the ring up slight to better study it.

Silas gave an amused smirk as her antics subsided. It would have been an easy thing, giving in to her. Her willfulness would only have solidified further, however. He needed to be the one in charge. Silas would accept nothing else.

Which is why it was only then that the man leaned forward to brush his lips lightly against her own. "As are you," he murmured, tone carefully calculated to contain just the right blend of tenderness and warmth. He lifted a hand and gently ran a knuckle along her jaw and down her pale throat, lightly trailing across her collar, his gaze focused intently on hers.

"Beautiful women deserve beautiful things."

Ksenia's eyes widened in shock as his lips met hers, the action completely unexpected. A part of her melted at his touches and his words, her eyes half closing in pleasure. She stayed completely still herself as his hand moved along her skin, scared that he would step away if she did anything.

It felt odd to be complimented for her beauty. The girl couldn't even remember the last time someone said that she was beautiful. She had never been the type to place much value in appearances except for seeing grooming yourself perfectly as a minor step in the overall tasks. The girl simply never cared for such compliments. Hearing such words now though, from a man who was going to be her husband, made them sound so much more desirable.

A smirk graced her lips once again at his words, and she opened her eyes fully, gazing up at him. It felt like returning to the demeanour she carried herself with on their first date. That was an enjoyable dinner.

He wanted to play this game by his rules, she could see that now. She was sure of that since their first meeting, the manner in which he approached her spoke of such confidence. Her mind filed that information away for the moment though. The Slushatel's sharp mind did not fail to appreciate the layers that he had so carefully woven together to create a subtle yet powerful assertation of his dominance.

"Am I to put the ring on myself?" she asked him, the words barely audible. As much as her mind reveled at the idea of such complicated webs of strategy, her body was very unwilling to cooperate with it at that point.

Silas rewarded her with a brief smile, lightly brushing a thumb over her lips. Tucking her hair behind her ear, he withdrew the contact.

She caught on quickly. That spoke well of her intelligence, her ability to use reason and logic. While he could have endured an empty-headed woman, one who wasn't was far more interesting.

Taking the ring box, he removed the bejeweled band and pocketed the case. Lightly taking her hand, Silas slid the ring onto her finger. "There," he said. Bringing her hand to his mouth, his brushed his lips against her knuckles, gaze fixing intently on hers. "Perfect."

Ksenia's eyes stayed glued to him, her gaze sharp, taking in everything she could. Her eyelids lowered as he traced her lip with his finger. She didn't make a sound, her only movements were that of her eyes. It felt foreign to be giving someone such control. Though that did not change her opinion of Silas. He was a very interesting man, far more than most of the others that she had known. The duplicity of his character would be a puzzle that she would enjoy solving.

The witch smiled as he put the ring on. It fit perfectly. She was engaged now. "It is," she agreed with him, her gaze on the ring.

Releasing her hand, Silas let his arm rest by his side. "And now, for our second order of business.

"During my search for you and your sister, I found, of course, that Regina had met an untimely end. However, the leads I had on her were not a dead end." The man pulled out his wallet to retrieve a photograph, which he then handed to her. In it was a solemn little blonde who cuddled a teddy bear to herself. "Her name is Cordelia. She is your niece and, as of almost two weeks ago, my adopted child."

"What?" Kseenia expression was blank as she tried to wrap her mind around the information he had just given her. The word that left her mouth was rather sharp. Her eyes darted between his face and the picture in his hand. It made no sense at all.

"My niece...." the words were quiet, low. The witch felt like she had been thrown off the cliff and hasn't hit the ground yet. Her sister has left a child behind....

Her eyes focused on his face once again. He was saying something. "You...." she started saying something, but her mind would not generate the rest of the sentence. Her focus switched to the picture once more, but she did not dare take it, did not dare move and now it was for a completely different reason than it was before.

She stood still like that for more than a minute and than she finally realised what he had told her. "You had her for two weeks?" there was anger in her words, her eyes narrowed at him. "And you told me nothing?" she spat out.

"Mind your temper," Silas' tone was sharp though his expression remained impassive. "Telling you sooner would have succeeded in nothing more than distracting you from your schoolwork. You would have demanded to see her immediately and I would have refused, as she is a child and I am attempting to let her deal with one upheaval at a time.

"I need not have told you at all. She is my child, after all, as I am the one who tracked her down and retrieved her from the orphanage." Silas regarded her seriously, "I strongly suggest that you comport yourself sensibly."

Ksenia's eyes narrowed at his words. Though there was some truth in what he was saying. However the fact was that he hid the only family member she had for two weeks.

"She is my niece," the words were heaved from her chest as she looked up at him, most of the anger gone and replaced by hurt. So many masks fell from her face at that moment. "She is the only living family member I have left. How can you not understand that?" The words were broken as tears gathered in her eyes. She turned away from simply, seeing him was too painful at the moment. Her arms wrapped around her chest as she squeezed her eyes shut, yet the tears still poured.

"Take me away from here. Please," she whispered hoarsely.

"I do understand," Silas countered, tone not unkind. "Which is why I found her, the reason that I spared nothing in acquiring her. You may not appreciate my delay in informing you, but nonetheless, even that was done in your interest."

The man sighed as she began to cry, turning her back to him. Closing the distance between them, he wrapped his arms about her from behind, then turned.

"Last order of business for the day," Silas murmured in her ear once they had apparated. "A house for you and Cordelia, and myself. It took a while to find--I wanted it to be as perfect as possible. The deal will closed on the morrow, then Cordelia will be brought here and you will meet her and be a part of her life.

"So, don't stay angry. And please try to stop crying." With that, he released his hold on her and took a step back.

So many of her emotions have been calloused over the years. These days it was becoming hard to feel anything. But this.....she had a niece. A part of her sister. Her head lowered and more tears came.

She paid little attention to the new surroundings. She didn't even want to be near him at the moment. A small part of her felt betrayed by him.

Her head turned, tears pouring and she narrowed her eyes at him once again. "Don't tell me how to feel!" she snapped out before lowering herself onto a couch, covering her face with her hands. Her arms were trembling. Her shoulders shook.

That placid mask, so common when he had no part to be, was firmly back in place. He had made his attempt, tried to placate her. It was rather more considerate than he even bothered to be with anyone outside of a job.

"Fine," he uttered succinctly. "I shall be in the other room. Once you are... finished, come find me." And with that he walked from the room without a second glance.

Ksenia was not sure how long she had cried her. She had found herself curled up into a ball, lying on the couch. there were tear tracks on her cheeks though the crying has stopped. She felt so vulnerable. So much more emotionally exposed to him than she would have ever liked to be.

And his unemotional demeanor that she had welcomed beforehand only made the situation worse now. She did not go to find him like he had told her. Going to him would translate to a kind of acceptance and she did not want to accept the situation yet.

Silas had set to unpacking things in the study. True, the house wasn't technically his, yet, but that was just a matter of technicality. There was no reason to think the deal would not succeed. He was a Raske, after all.

The girl's sobbing had subsided. Naturally, it would seem she refused to come to him, no doubt fancying that she had been dealt some grave grievance. Were it not for him, she would not even know she had a niece. He was hardly to be faulted for considering the transitioning of a young child to be more important than the wishes of her grown aunt.

No matter. She would come when she was ready. She was not a child, after all. Silas had little need to indulge her.

Some more time past and she still remained on the couch. The girl turned to lie on her back, studying the ceiling for a few moments. He had hurt her, there was denying that, and she was quite ready to forgive him yet. On the other hand it was clear that he was not going to come to her himself.

She sat up slowly, finally taking in her surroundings. It was a beautiful home from what she could see of it. Her legs were placed on the floor and she got up, moving in the direction that Silas has gone in. How easily he was manipulating her. She stilled as she came to stand in front of the doorway off the room he occupied. He was always so sure, never wavered. And here she was on the other hand, emotionally compromised right now. "Can I see the photo?" she asked, her voice colder than it had been before.

"It is on the desk," Silas replied. He continued to place his books upon the shelves, not even sparing a glance back at her. She could address him however she chose; he was not obligated to acknowledge it.

He paused over a text on the Hebridean Black. Fingers moving lightly over the worn cover--for Silas had read the volume frequently--the man flipped it open to the middle, perusing some familiar passage with a look of near-contentment. There was a reason Silas had chosen a career with dragons as his cover for bounty hunting. Dragons were the one thing that fascinated and intrigued him above all else.

Flipping the book shut, Silas put it on the shelf and reached for some more.

Ksenia moved soundlessly further into the room, her arms wrapped around herself just below her chest. Blue orbs sought the the picture of the little girl that she had only managed to look at briefly beforehand. Her anger at losing so much control has squashed the thoughts of her niece from her mind. The fact that there was someone else who cared about the child's well-being was unthinkable. She had always stuck to herself, and even when she did seek help, she did so quietly, only taking what was necessary and nothing more.

The young witch's expression which has remained stone cold so far showed a crack as she finally took the photo of the girl into her hand. This was definitely her niece. No child so young should ever look as withdrawn as the little girl did. An ugly grimace of pain marred the Slushatel's face for a few moments as she stood silently as each part of her mind took its time to accept that she was not the only line of her bloodline any more. She never was.

Another book slid into place and Ksenia's gaze shot up to the man in front of her. Her expression was pained once more as she looked at his back. "Why are you doing this?" she asked weakly. It was a stupid question really. She could come to a soundly logical conclusion on her own, several if one was not enough. The Slushatel and her niece were very prized witches. She always knew that, even as a child, knew of what dangers it could result in. But Silas.....the amount of care he showed to them both felt so foreign, unexpected. Nevertheless, she wanted to hear his answer to the question, to hear some answers that might help her solve the puzzle.