"Everything is sorted." Christa announced, as the hinges whined on the steel door behind them, as the cellar was closed and locked. Nikolai merely grunted in affirmation, the longer they had winded their way through the camp, the more hanger's on they had picked up. Wide-eyed old women and excitable young children fussed around the new arrivals, looking at them with a mixture of awe and apprehension. It made Nikolai feel a little uncomfortable. He was not used to being crowded by people who did not mean violence upon him.
Also, Lucia, Acolyte and Natalia had yet to return.
Once Judah crested the steep hill on the south side of the small community the storehouse came into sight. She took a second to look over the scene, taking note of all the villagers and 'Free Men' who had gathered.
She scanned the crowd until her eyes fell on the scarred Russian fellow who had saved her life. Taking a sharp deep breath she yelled his name before bolting down the side of the hill. Stopping suddenly by Nikolai side side grabbed his hand and inspected it, "Looks alright to me." she gasped as she fought to catch her breath.
"Judah!" Nikolai called out, smiling as the young girl arrived at his side. Crouching down, he gently reached out and inspected her head. She wasn't wearing bandages any more, but she had several stitches.
"You are better yes?" he asked her.
Manyara soon followed Judah, only stopping to catch her breath. No wonder there had been so many bumps in the night, nearly all of the commune was there by the storehouse like the circus had come to town or something. A shout from the scarred giant revealed why, or at least partly why: he'd must've stumbled in and created a racket, causing the commune to investigate and find the one-man freak show. To top it all off, Judah was there beside him. Manyara could deal with the little ***** later, at least she knew where she had run off to. Manyara needed details. She walked up and approached Christa.
"Why is he here?" Manyara asked.
"Oh, yeah. 'Course I am." She said absent mindedly as she looked around at those who had gathered.
She squeezed his hand tightly, "Where's Lucia and the other guy? They alright?"
Nikolai faltered, unsure of what to say to her.
"They... will be here soon." he answered. Was he trying to convince the girl, or himself? In either case, Nikolai hoped he was right.
Meanwhile, Christa turned to Manyara with a sweet smile, that neutralised the bitter woman's permanent accusing scowl effortlessly.
"Nikolai and his companions arrived here just in time to help repel a band of drunk fiends from down at the coast." She announced, which cause intakes of breath and a flurry of murmurings among the crowd. "Don't be alarmed." she continued calmly "They are gone now. They won't be coming back, and I doubt any more citizens of the port will be eager to copy their mistake." before turning back to Manyara.
"In accordance with the debts we owe them, for both this morning and yesterday, I offered them our hospitality for as long as they feel they require it." she said, silently daring Manyara to have a problem with it.
"Well, we do accept all types." Manyara muttered. Christa was indeed the mistress of the sickly sweet smile, and the way she went on about Nikolai's group, like they were saints or something. Manyara folded her arms and twisted her head around to stare at the giant. "Seeing as they're getting along so swimmingly, I suppose they can look after Judah as well." She added.
Judah looked at the man curiously, trying to figure out what he was keeping from her.
"Well what's holding them up?"
"They had to go back for the rest of our supplies." Nikolai grumbled awkwardly. "They will not take long."
"If that arrangement suits everyone." Christa said in answer to Manyara's suggestion, before turning back to Nikolai and the others. "We are a small community, but we have ample space. It shouldn't be a problem to find you all somewhere warm and dry to bed down. First, however, you must be hungry..."
He wan't being very forward, but Judah wasn't about to press a man she barely knew. Instead she pulled his arm into a gentle hug, "Well, I'm glad you're alright." Grinning stupidly, she added "Now, let's get us some food." Pulling Nikolai by the hand she started back up the hill towards the centre of the community, "I'm sure they'll catch up with us in a little bit."
Some time later...
It wasn't until Nikolai had seen the bountiful supply of food the commune had to offer, that he realised just how hungry he was. He's wasn't even sure he could remember the last time he had felt truly satisfied after a meal. Maybe he never had. The Arctic Wolves, after Nikolai's value as a human weapon had been proven to them, always made sure that he maintained a high calorie intake, to keep his strength up. However, the food down in The Pit had been tasteless at the best of times, and there was always something about being fed like a farmer feeds a Pig that sucked what little enjoyment there would have been out of the experience.
Now though, as he scarfed down slice after slice of ham, he was wearing perhaps the broadest, most genuine smile anyone had ever seen on him. With Judah sitting on one side, and Niklaus on the other, the usually gruff, dour Nikolai was seemingly absent.
At the end of the long table, far away from their attention, Christa watched the new group, and Nikolai in particular, with interest. She was no longer smiling. In fact, there was little visible emotion on her face at all, until the door at the end of the timber hall once again swung open.
"Something smells fucking delicious," Lucia announced as she stepped through the door. She had cheered up considerably since her outburst in front of the commune. Even still, she avoided making eye contact with Christa when she took a seat at the table across from Nikolai and Judah. "Haven't seen food like this in... I don't even know how long!"
"You think it's been a while for you, try five years," Acolyte said, sitting down next to Judah. "In fact, the temple pretty much just fed me rice the whole time I was there, so it's more like eight years since I've had a really decent meal!" He gave Christa a dazzling smile. "I think I'll have to reset that counter now, though."
Nikolai had been too focussed on gorging himself to notice the doors open, and it wasn't until Lucia spoke up, opposite him like nothing in the world had ever happened outside, that he even knew she was there. The heel of bread he had been holding fell back onto the plate, and he just stared at her in silence for a few seconds, crumbs dropping periodically out of his beard.
Then he lunged at her, vaulting right over the table to the gasps of many around, rather than make the lengthy trip around it. Once on the other side, he swept the younger girl of her feet and spun her around. Laughing, actually laughing, as he embraced her.
"I thought you were angry at me..." He said, incredulously, once he had eventually set her down. "I'm sorry. I made you feel alone out there. I didn't mean to!"
Christa had raised her eyebrows at Nikolai's display of affection, before turning her gaze back to answer Acolyte's compliment.
"You are too kind." she said. "Although, we are simply fortunate. The land here is fertile, and yet unclaimed. The boundaries of our community are far larger than they might appear on the outside, once you account for the forested parts. We have plenty of space left over for crops and livestock. I like to think all live comfortable, bountiful lives here, even the non-human residents."
"You have nothing to apologize for!" Lucia scolded, still reeling from her sudden vertigo. She could not have anticipated Nikolai's reaction in a million years. He really had changed. Hugging him tight, she nuzzled her head against his enormous chest. "I'm sorry, I won't do that to you ever again. I promise."
Acolyte smiled as he watched Nikolai's display of affection. Raising his drink at the other man, he said, "careful there, Nikolai. You'll make Natalia jealous!"
"Come on!" Nikolai responded, his enthusiasm undiminished. "I know you doubted before, but the food here is so good!" Spying Natalia standing behind the pair of them, smiling at their reunion, Nikolai got to his feet.
"Natalia!" he cried, unabashed; and then, in some kind of fit of ham-induced madness, took her in his arms and kissed her full on the mouth.
Natalia's eyes went wide with shock at first. She hadn't even known for sure that Nikolai knew how to kiss! However, after a second or two, she sunk into it, closing her eyes, and wrapping her long, toned arms around his neck.
It was then several more seconds before they broke apart.
"Come! You must try the eggs!" Nikolai continued after they had broken away, as he led her around the table with an arm wrapped around her waist, while she blushed scarlet and looked at him with the eyes of a doe.
Lucia giggled like a school girl as she watched Nikolai escort his woman around the table. "I didn't know Nikolai had it in him," she told Acolyte. "Next time Natalia needs to get laid I guess I'll just run off again."
"If this is the result, I'll even fake an argument with you," Acolyte replied. Leaning in close, he grinned and said quietly, "but if those two are gonna start getting laid, I think I wanna run as far as I can."
"I've already heard the way he roars when he breaks a man's spine with his bare hands," Lucia whispered quietly. "I can only imagine what he sounds like when he's doing the same with his pelvis."
Acolyte tried to respond to Lucia, but only succeeded in sniggering around a mouthful of mashed potato.
Judah sat back and watched the reunion unfold, stunned to silence by Nikolai's fierce display of affection and the entire group's candid conversation.
'They do know I'm right here. Right?'
Sex wasn't necessarily a topic that made her feel uncomfortable, it was more the context that made her uneasy. She'd never heard adults speak so freely about killing and fucking. Did they not realize they were in a room full of other people?
She blushed slightly as Acolyte snickered at her side.
'Perfect.'
As if she didn't feel awkward enough. Gaze fixed on her plate she tried to keep her focus on the conversation. Although listening to their exchange felt unbearable it was proving to be insightful. She wanted to know more about this eccentric group and right now they seemed comfortable chatting about anything and everything.
Not to be distracted by the gossip of the others, Nikolai escorted Natalia back round the table to where he had been sitting. Niklaus subtly, but swiftly, made space for her to sit down by his side, and breakfast resumed in earnest. It wasn't long before Nikolai was even feeding her morsels of food off his plate; and Natalia, for her part, was eager to repeat the kissing at any moment when they didn't already have their mouths full.
When the tables were empty, and Nikolai and the others had sated their month's long hunger, Christa rose from the end of the table to address them all.
"Now you have regained your strength," she began "feel free to explore our grounds. We may end up needing to raise another cabin for you, but in the mean time, feel free to lay your bed-rolls wherever you like. We have a doctor to tend to any wounds or ailments you may have picked up; a barber if any of you would like a shave; and even hot springs, further up into the hills where you might bathe. For as long as you wish it to, you may consider this place your home."
