Jul 20 19:29:38 108 PA - A Very Large Working Man Meets a Very Small Unemployed Woman

From Chronicles

Jul 20 19:29:38 108 PA.

MERCHANT'S PLAZA

Shopping time! Or something. Clouds're flyin around up above. People're skitterin round down on the ground. Bella too. Since she ain't flyin up high with the clouds. That takes lotsa work.

Oddly, the immense form of Pavel comes slugging into town dressed like he just came from work. Which if he's dressed as such, he probably has. There is a huge hammer resting on his shoulder; a six-foot long metal shaft with a head the size of a beer keg, and obviously solid - and obviously gold. His left arm is pulling a one-inch thick steel plate the size of a door, piled high with things concealed by a tarp. All of it dragged by what could stand in for the anchor chain of a small battleship. Very unusually, he looks gruff and grim.

Bella blinks. That ain't somethin ya see lots. Big guys? Yep. Big stuff? Sure. Big guys draggin big stuff? Not so much. She spots all that. And she's gotta ask. "Whatcha doin?"

Pavel grumbles something out in Russian, not really being polite enough right now to even direct his gaze over to the tiny girl. Very tiny, in his eyes. His voice is very deep, and strong. And growling. "YA sobirayus? Razbit. Kosti cheloveka kotoryi pytalsya obmanut! Menya v rezul'tate zahoroneniya svoih prosil tovarov na golovu!" His eyes are narrowed, and his laden metal plate creates a cacophony and sparks as it is dragged. Eventually, Bella receives an, "Allo Bella."

"Uh. Ok. Hi." Bella only got the last part. But he sounds pissed off about the others. "Something wrong?" She points at all the metal. "'R just tireda draggin alla that?"

Pavel stops and drops the load. The hammer that he's swinging around like it's a spoon drops to the ground and actually creates a small pothole for the Kingsdale City Department of Urban Repair to fill in. He nods slightly and attempts a smile. "Pozhalujsta. I eem sohrry fohr noht be vehry smaheel hahppy forh Bella szsees neeght. Ess man een ceety who takh mohney, szen no say good ees. Pavel tahke to man, geeve to heem makhe say ees good. I no mahke no good szeengs! Sohrry, Bella. How ees Bella sszees naheet?"

Bella perks a brow. "Wow. So ya made 'im somethin 'n he didn' like it? Some people're picky." She shrugs. "I'm Ok. Ain' doin much. Yet." Now she gives a little grin. "Still lotsa time ta find somethin though."

Pavel blinks, and bends at the waist so that he's at a more appropriate level. Then gets down to one knee, his palm resting on the upraised haft of the hammer. That's a better eye-level. "Ees taheeme feend sohmtheeng? Laheek vaht ees to faheend fohr a Bella?" He then lifts up the tarp so that the tiny person can see. Beneath is a six-foot high metal horse, up on its hind legs, complete with rider - and detailed in various metals and embossing so that it may appear as if every last hair of its mane had been put in its own special place. "Ees good, no? Fohr mahn, so no good, geeve mohn, geeve fohr no money ees free? No! Pavel do good, ees mahny taheem to do, mahny mohney to geht sze mehtals. Bella is yes preety szeenk?"

"Time ta find stuff ta do. Yep." Bella smirks. "Always time ta not be bored ya know." Then she gets flashed with what's under the covers. "Huh. It's pretty I guess. Maybe sell better if ya find somebody't really likes horses. 'N lotsa space." She waves at it. "Won' never sell me that. No place fer it."

Pavel smiles and returns the tarp to its place, having apparently only opening it up as explanation, not looking for compliment. "Bella no ees hahf vohrk? Ess joost... joost.. Bella? Valhk een ceety, spehnd deh vahlk, look een veendo, go fohr eat? Ess no... no szeeng good so do?" The large man seems to genuinely be perplexed by the concept of having nothing to do - and being happy about it.

Bella shrugs. "Pretty much. Cept fer nothin ta do. Can always find stuff ta do. Ain' nothin so big bout workin. That's borin."

"Boot.. boot.. vehn go sleep fohr Bella, ees no.. ees.. no..." Pavel's eyes search themselves and his own internal vocabulary, then he grinds out what he was looking for. It's painful to listen to. "Ees fohr Bella no sah-tees-FAHK-shohn vhen eyes close? Noht say, 'Da, Bella ees good to do een day. Look vaht has done?' No? Bell no vahnt to... to... " another grinding ".. to ah-CHEE-ve szeengs?"

"Course I do." Bella gets the idea. Even if he's harder ta figger out 'n she can be. "Like ta know I did somethin. Stayed in one piece. Still up 'n walkin. Pretty damn big thing. Don't cha think?"

Pavel shrugs. "Ees only steel be Bella, no ees deahd? Deaz ees ohnly good day? No, ees noht good enough fohr Bella. Need sohmszeeng fohr do. Cahn look aht sehlf een meeror, peht chest! 'I ees Bella! I do good szeengs! Half made vohrld more good today!' Da, szat ees bettehr. Cahn come vork veet Pavel? Help veet sze fohrge, eef vahnt so."

Bella maybe don't think the same bout looking in mirrors. Or hitting herself. "Help inna forge? Dunno nothin bout doin that." She thinks a second. "What's that anyways?"

"Fohrge?" Pavel cants his head to the side, but doesn't seem surprised. Mostly. "Heer een ceety, peeple cahn joost go to stohr ahnd geeve mohney fohr szeengs. Booy ahnyszeen szat so vahnt, da? Da. Vehr Pavel frohm - ees mahny far frohm heer - no stohrs, no tek-noh-low-gee for sahy half many. Ees vehry seemple. Perhsons leeke Pavel ees cahll Kuznya. Use hammehr, faheer, strohng so mahk sze szeengs peeple need. Hohrshoes, plow, pohts and pahn, anyszeeg. No have eelectreeceety, sohm half no runneeng vahtor, eeven." He stops for a moment and taps his hammer. "Fohrge ees vehr Kuznya mahk szees szeengs so peeple ees need. Bella help, cahn leeft sze szeengs Pavel need, if vahnt so vork."

"Lift things?" Bella pops up her brows. "Don' sound like fun ta me. Why'd I wanna sit round 'n lift things?" Course she's still curious. Maybe.

Pavel gets to his feet, trying to think of a better way to explain what he's trying to say. His left hand sits on the end the hammer, his right is used as an extensive hand-speak. "So leeft szeengs, so cahn say, 'Da, look vaht Bella hahs done todahy! Bella hahs help mahke sz plow, or sz plahte, or sz fehncepohst szat peeple need, can get from Pavel's fohrge.' Ees sense of acc-OMM-pleesh-mehnt." Saying that last word seems to have empowered him. "Da, accomplishment, beegehr szan joost seh... Pavel ohr Bella ess steel breathe."

Bella smirks. "Stayin 'n one piece ain' bad. Can't get no accomplishing done if ya don't." Then she shrugs. "Ya make lotsa creds makin stuff? Can't be doin't justa do it." That sure don't seem right to her.

Pavel laughs a loud, rolling laugh. "Pavel *could* mahk mahny mohney, da. Ees sohm Kuznya go vehry reech. Boot szees Kuznya, szey do noht do vaht Svarog seh so do. Ees fohr Pavel ahnd ohszers so mahke sze szeengs fohr need, ohly because ees fohr need. Cahn maheek mahny mohney, Pavel do maheek mohney szat ees fohr good mahny oszers. Boot ees no fohr money, ees fohr do good, seh Svarog." He nods sagely and definitively.

"Rich's good." Bella grins. Up. "Always good. Guess I can maybe try 'n help sometimes. Maybe. When I ain' lookin in windows. 'R eatin. 'R out doin stuff fer creds."

"Vaht ees Bella 'do fohr creds'?" Pavel wonders, narrowing his eyes. "Seh ohnly ees fohr sohrvaheeve, eet. Look een veendow. Vaht ees Bella do fohr creds ahnd for eet?"

Bella shrugs more. "Li'l 'ere. Li'l there. Lotsa stuff. Sometimes merc sorta stuff. Guard stuff. Snoop stuff. Kill people. Don' let some get dead. Sometimes other stuff. Normal stuff I guess."

Pavel's eyebrows go up as Bella speeks. "Bella ees mahny do violent szeengs. Good fohr soul to help, boot no ees so good alvehys be keel. Ees taheeney gahrd for stohrs?"

"Whole world's all violent. Case ya didn' know." Bella's back to smirking. "Gotta hide. 'R fight back. 'R just get dead. 'S how it works. Not lotsa people't play nice no more."

"So good ess fohr protect. Boot so go out vaht fohr mohney es sz keel pehrson?" Pavel shakes his head negatively. "Szees ees noh so good. Ahlso, no ess haheede. Ees be strohg! Ees stahnd up! Ees fohr seh, 'No! I Bella, I stohp yoo, fohr Bella ees noht ahfraheed of cowahrds.' Da, half friend veet Bella, ees good. Faheeth bahk, ees good. Ahsk help, szees ees good, da. Boot stahnd for strohng, no haheed." The large man offers up a large and heavy nod. "Pavel ees beeg. Bella ees noh so beeg. Szees noh mahtter, ees sahme."

Bella shakes her head. "Nope. Ain' the same. Can duck under shit WAY easier 'n ya. Harder fer 'em ta see me comin too." She winks at him. "Course havin a buncha big friends with me don't hurt none neither."

Pavel rolls his eyes in amusement. "Ees sahme fohr Pavel, Bella in sahme for szeenk." He taps his head with a thick finger. "Bella ees faheeght veesz peestohl, da? Es pehrson show use, ohr ees Bella trehn self?"

"Both." Bella nods. "Ain' hard ta point the shooty end 't somebody. 'N pusha shoot button. Ain' hadda use't so much though."

"Ees good fohr knaheef Pavel mahke? Clohse fohr stab? Or.. Bella noht go for veet hands," Pavel wonders. Then offers, "I half bow. Ees fohr vehn need deestahnce."

Bella shrugs. "Ain't hadda stick nobody neither. Try 'n not get in lotsa fights." She smirks. "Parta that stayin up 'n walkin round thing."

"Ah, peece. In a vey. Szees ees good," Pavel says, his mood apparently beginning to brighten. "Pavel mahke beeg knaheef fohr pehrsohn een oszer veek. Mahny beegehr szan vaht geev fohr Bella. Sze vohman who ahsk fohr sze blahde, she seh vahnt fohr keel vahmpaheers. Ees good, boot Pavel noht see vahmpaheers in Keengsdahle. Mahybe ees bahd een plaheece Pavel noht go." He shrugs, wondering.

"Heard bout people worried bout 'em too." Bella smirks. "Don't think there's any round 'ere. Ain' seen nothin like that. 'R heard nothin. Jus' people gettin all scared bout shit they're thinkin's maybe hidin round. Somewhere."

Pavel rolls his big shoulders in an immense shrug. "Ees vaht sze vohman seh vant. Pavel mahke vaht forh vant." He then raises a large finger and shakes his head, waggling it back and forth. "Pavel ees noht fohr geet ehvehryszeeng. Sohm peeple vahnt sze vehry specaheel szeengs cahn mahke, szeengs only Pavel ahnd oszer Kuznya cahn mahke. Pavel geeve Bella vehry good specaheel geeft. No ees fohr ehvery pehrson joost geeve beeg szeengs. Veapons, ahrmor, ees so. Pavel mahke fohr sze peeple, da. No fohr ahny pehrsohn seemply ahsk fohr sszeengs." Apparently that is an important point of clarification.

Then, as some women are wont to do, Bella runs off into the crowd without saying nary a word.