Far Too Far Ahead

Settlement B - Bedrooms

Novikova was puttering around as best as she can. Likely, she's had time to refill their water and get back by now or some other chore. She smiles, seeing Elise awake and wanders over. "Elise," Novikova greets her softly, returning to her spot beside her cousin. "How are you?"

Elise looks up when Zoya returns. "Cousin," she greets softly. She would shrug at the question, but doesn't want to move her arm. It's in her face though. "Still here." Not exactly a ringing endorsement. "Did you go out?"

Poor Elise. Novikova looks sympathetic and sits by her. "Da," A nod. "I refilled my canteen, are you thirsty?" She asks quietly. She frowns. "Well. At least between the two of us, we're a pair, huh?" She offers. "Even with one arm at least I can watch and fetch things."

Elise nods slightly, "Da, thank you." She'll sit up a little, wincing, to have a drink. "We are. I wish this would stop happening to us." She sighs. "I don't really feel like watching and fetching things," she says, weary and somewhat sullen.

"Then don't, you're hurt and can stay here," Novikova replies easily. She can be bull-headed sometimes too. She unscrews her canteen and offers it over. "I'm just too wiggly to sit here and stay. But I'm glad to see you are awake," She offers. "I think I have some rations from dinner," She adds. "I wish it would stop too. I think - winter will be a great blow to them."

Another tiny nod, but Elise's frown lingers. "I just feel badly when everyone else is doing all the work." But it hurts, damn it! It's a constant battle for her, torn between laying around and helping out. "I'm not hungry." That's just the sullenness talking. Her stomach says otherwise. "Great blow to us too," she says softly. "We're already freezing and it's barely started snowing." Isn't she just a ray of sunshine today.

Couldn't blame her really. Novikova smiles faintly at her. "We all feel that way. Just rest and soon you will get back to normal in no time flat," Nod. "Well, hang onto it for me and eat it if you like. If not, I'll eat it in a few hours." She'll let Elise take it at her own pace and hand over the half can of food. She shrugs. "Not as bad though. We're used to it. We don't have to bring our supplies from another country either," She points out. "Still, don't feel bad okay?"

Elise takes a drink of the canteen and hands it back. She'll trade it for the ration can. "All right, thanks." It's tucked into her satchel nearby, though there's a bit of one-handed fumbling with the catch. Her lips purse in a wry smirk at Zoya's remark. "We can't seem to bring in supplies even from our own country," she points out dryly. There's no malice in the remark, it's just a grim observation of their situation.

Ohright. Novikova pauses at that. "Well… war is expensive. When everyone works and shares it's not so bad. When we're all doing this, not so many people are making things," She considers. "That's all. No one's fault but the invaders." A headshake and a sad smile. "I hope it ends soon too. We'll make it though," Nod. "Just - I don't know if we can do any fancy traveling like to Hawaii and I'm sure I have too big of a backside for a bathing suit anyway … it'd be bad," She holds up her hands.

"Da, and it's hard to make anything when the whole city's been bombed to hell and cut off from just about everywhere," Elise adds grimly. "That's not going to make winter any easier, though." She shifts Zoya a curious glance. "What's with the sudden interest in America?" Or is it not a sudden interest and Elise is just confused.

Maschenko has been in and out of this room non-stop, the patient-to-caregiver ratio around here horrific even without the added disadvantage of it being an unheated urban warzone. Someone else died not an hour ago in convulsions, that body already dragged out with the rest into the cold grove. He caught a nap earlier, more his body's choice than a conscious one, and since then has been on his feet without another stop. He comes back into the south bedroom holding a bloody bunch of cloths, and just in time to hear that comment about Novikova's backside, which pauses him in his tracks. God, women. "Ahem." Hem.

A soft sigh and she folds her arms. "Nothing, it was a joke," Novikova shakes her head, "Where he's going to get the money and papers for all that-" Tch, unless the man has some connections. Novikova waes a hand as if dismissing it. She pauses at the Ahem. Abruptly novikova's face goes bright red, her mouth falls open. Her eyes widen. Oh dear. "UMmmm. Hello Doctor!" Eh heh heh.

"Oh. I thought you'd said you wanted to go too. I'm sure there are some nice beaches some… oh, hello Doctor." Elise's greeting for the medicine man is subdued. She likes him well enough, but there's always that dread of 'is he coming for meeeeee?' lingering.

Maschenko clears his throat softly. Not in a disapproving way, nor particularly awkward. By the time you're 33 you had to have walked in on your fair share of OH GOD WHY moments. He continues on towards the wall, not yet heading for Elise. Yet. "Zoyenka, Elise. Should I leave the two of you alone?" Facetious half-smile with that. There's no 'alone' around here.

Novikova laughs softly, "No. I don't speak English well enough yet anyway. I'd be lost and frustrated." She shakes her head and smiles at Maschenko. "No, nothing bad. I was just making a joke about why they'd boot me out of America if I ever went." She explains. "Beaches are nice, I'd like to go to one. But not at the expense of seeing you guys." She just shrugs.

Elise shakes her head to the doctor. "No, it's all right." She nods absently to Novikova. "Me either. I don't understand his infatuation with that place." The 'his' is said with a note of derision, and a nod towards wherever Grigory last wandered off to. "Full of decadence. I think he's a closet capitalist," she says softly, snorting a little. "How are you, Doctor?"

"Oh, fine." Maschenko does not look fine. He looks like someone walking around with a serious chest wound, and next to no sleep or food. His voice, though, is damned near unsinkable. "You ought to visit Odessa when this is done with, Zoya." He sits back on his heels, picking through the freshly bloodied instruments he's brought back with him from the north room. "There's a beach there someone told me about once, on the Black Sea. They say the sand is pale, and the sea goes on and on. And it's warm, you know. Like a bathtub where it's shallow."

Novikova seems sympathetic for Maschenko and smiles. "You can sit if you like, at least for a bit." She seems pleased as he sits back on his heels. She tilts her head, "Really?" Her eyebrows lift. "That sounds really nice. Perhaps one day," She promises. "I'd like to see that. But the truth is, I'd finish my studies first and - I don't know if I can imagine that far ahead," She admits quietly. A look towards Elise. She doesn't comment, but nods slowly. "Well. That's that I suppose. If I can help either of you, I'm glad to."

"Da, please sit," Elise agrees readily. "That sounds nice. Have you ever been to a beach?" she wonders idly. Still not able to muster up much enthusiasm, but it's a step above sulking quietly on her bedroll. A small step, perhaps.

Maschenko is as close to sitting as he's going to get. He shakes his head at Zoya, dumping out the clatter of bloody instruments waiting to be washed. "Having things to look forward to never killed anyone." Blue eyes flicker to Elise and he smirks. "Banks of the Volga count?" He drags over that bowl he's been using to wash these things with, someone often sent out to try and grab some decently fresh snow. It's tough, with just these little dustings and so much mud. "No, I'm a landlocked soul from a line of landlocked souls. Have you ever been to one?"

"Well, if we ever go, I hope you do too," Novikova replies and smiles at Maschenko. "I'm just not sure. It seems so far away. So many classes, so many days," So many disgruntled Nazis not to get killed by. A shrug at that. She smiles at her cousin, "Where do you think we should go?" She asks. We? Oh dear. "Although the seeds always need handing out and making sure the bugs don't get in over the seasons until they can be happily planted and turned into things like food." A shrug. "Hmm." Ponder.

Elise shakes her head. "No, the ocean was pretty far from home." A glance to Novi, "So you still want to do that, even after all this?" she wonders.

"It gets less far faster than you realize," Maschenko says, chuckling under his breath. The sound's short-lived, as he picks up his life. Blood and bits of hair are stuck to it, the latter of which he picks off before he sloshes the blade through the water for the hundredth time tonight.

Novikova shrugs. "It seems a waste… of a good university spot not to. Like I'd be letting down people who tried and couldn't, or even those who counted on us. Kinda dumb I know, and really - it's one of the few things I'm good at." Tall, somewhat clumsy girl. Not really reeling in the men here. "What would you like to do after? I remember you could sing better than me…" Hmmm. She smiles at Maschenko and nods. "I suppose that's true too."

Elise shakes her head. "I don't think it's dumb. It's just hard to imagine things ever being normal again." A wandering glance catches sight of what Maschenko is doing, and her nose scrunches up in an eeeew. She looks away quickly, head slumping back down against her good arm. "Not well enough to do anything with it. At this rate I'll probably not have any arms left to play the fiddle." A dejected half shrug. "I don't know. Maybe just stick around and help rebuild."

The water's alread dull red when Maschenko finishes the knife. He flicks the blade at the wall and lays it down on a dirty rag, now cleaning the forceps off in the same puddle in the bowl. No other choice, disgusting as it all is. He presses his thumbnail onto a spot of crusted blood, scraping away diligently at it.

Novikova nods, "That's true." Novikova decides not to follow Elise's example and looks too her cousin instead. "Hmmm. What would you enjoy then?" Novikova taps her chin. "You're about the right age to start University," She points out. "If you were into that sort of thing." A shrug. "There's always time to think. Lots of people don't decide right away anyway." She has faith in Elise. "I think we'll find your calling. But you're good at the fiddle too." And then she looks up just in time to see what Maschenko is doing. Oh.

"I don't know, I don't think University is for me. I don't know what I'd study, anyway." Elise frowns a bit, shaking her head and changing the subject away from her indecisive self. "I'm glad you're so sure of your path. Farmers will always need someone who knows about plants and things." She studiously avoids looking back at Maschenko's grim task.

Maschenko studiously keeps at said grim task. Freezing water splashes as he finally dislodges that large dried clot from the end of the forceps, and he runs his hand over the rest of it underwater to clean what else he can from it. His fingers are bright red from the cold as he lays the instrument out finally, moving on to a smaller scalpel. You don't want to know what's on that.

Whyyyyyyyy did she look. Novikova looks away to Elise and smiles. "Yeah, but I dunno. I think it makes me boring to have already decided. Whatever you pick, we'll be behind you I think." Nod. "Sorry, my mind just goes odd places."

"That's sweet of you, Zoyuschka," Elise says, with clear fondness in her voice. "I just can't think that far ahead. I couldn't decide even before all this, and now…" A glance over at Maschenko and his bloody business, which she immediately regrets. She shudders, which doesn't do her arm any favors. Grimacing in pain, she says, "I have a hard time thinking past today."

Maschenko sucks in a sip of air through his teeth as the sharp blade slices the end of his finger. Right in that mess of disgusting water. God dammit. He squeezes his fingertip shut, sloshing the scalpel around a few more times before putting it out with the others to dry.

Trainwreck Syndrome. You wanna look away. But you keep looking back. She hears the hiss of air. "Hey, you're alright? I wish I could help but with one hand I think I'd slow you," Novikova frowns. She smiles at Elise and the fondness in her voice. "You're kind to me too. We'll worry about it when it comes. There will be plenty of jobs in rebuilding to tide one over for ages I am sure," She nods. "Artists too, to make sure it's decent." She looks a bit green though.

Elise does not offer to help, or even pretend to want to. Maschenko does get a sympathetic wince, at least. She nods to her cousin. "Da, I imagine it'll keep people busy for quite awhile." Like, the rest of her life maybe. Presuming they even survive all this.

"Yeah, fine." Maschenko answers without thinking about it, his reply to every question of that nature. Tools washed, he picks up the bowl and gets stiffly back to his feet. BLood wells up from his finger, dripping down his palm as he steps over the drying rag and starts for the door.

Poor Maschenko. Novikova frowns and nods. "If you're sure," She doesn't push it. She looks to Elise. "It's all a matter of we'll see huh?" She shrugs and yawns. "I think I'm kinda sleepy though. Wanna lean?"

Poor Maschenko indeed. Elise watches him move off with a sad expression. "I feel badly for him. He has to suffer through all our wounds in addition to his own. He's a strong man." Sadness tinged with admiration. Elise nods to the question. "Da, you should get some rest." She still has trouble sleeping due to the throbbing in her arm, so will most likely continue to stare at the walls. But it would be nice to not be so cold while doing so.

Novikova nods, and frowns. "Me too. And he's not even from here." Poor fellow. She feels likely the same way. A yawn again and she will quietly huddle with Elise. "Well. Rest when you can, but don't forget to eat and drink okay?" She nods and prepares to doze.

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