2/2

The moon mostly stayed, being recolored to a lighter purple shade instead, half concealed by a darker purple and red cloud. Her curled kitten got covered by a wash of nighttime sky in the 'emptier' part of the design, a much larger cat pawing its way across skin-shaded 'snow' or 'sand' into a green thicket of similarly uncolored roses near the middle of her bicep. A blush of dawn backlighting both the horizon and the underside of her cloud.

It was a lot of work for a tattooist and took up several hours to carve and ink into her skin.

The safecracker merely needed to touch up the colors of her own. Getting her own uncolored roses filled in with red.

They tipped Boris a fair bit, since redesigning another's tattoo work was a lot of effort. The Sun was sure it would turn out well once it healed up, as well.

To prove it, she covered Sonya's arm with a wash of Sun Flames to seal her skin and brighten in the inks.

"So… Cherep." Tatiana continued when they were on their way back to their childhood home.

"Yes."

"Why?"

"At first, it was merely because he wouldn't do too well if he got shoved into our little corner of the neighborhood and expected to swim." Started the Storm-Cloud slowly, dredging up her long-forgotten motives regarding her best friend as she flexed the last of the soreness out of her arm. "I still don't think he would like it much. Then it turned to preventing him from getting taken advantage of, which he is still way too nice to avoid that happening."

"And now?"

"He has not expressed any desire to join, so I will continue to do what I've been doing for him."

Cherep could probably make a go of being a Mafiya man now, if he wasn't so dead set on joining a circus and becoming a stuntman. If she did allow her clan the knowledge and a way to try holding on to him, it was likely he would resent the chains they would insist on.

He might then resent her, which was not something she even wanted to entertain the idea of.

XCVI (Saturday the 8th of January, 1966. Arseniy & Lisa's home, Moscow, Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic.)

Having all three of them home, even if it was only a two-week long visit, proved to them all that they were outgrowing living together and their childhood home. Cherep and Sonya might still actually have bedrooms, but they did pack up the stuff the youngest thief would store for them all in preparation of the last two moving sometime this upcoming year.

The house was slowly going back to the way it had looked when the sisters first moved in to be fostered under Arseniy and Lisa. Tatiana claimed it was odd to sleep there when it didn't look remotely as it had when she was living there.

She also told them the highlights of getting her gang set up using their own efforts and supplies in a different city, even if it was temporary. In return the Storm-Cloud told her the story of how far she had to chase Adrik's favor, and that Cherep had gone with her.

It was halfway through Tatiana's leave taking that Dmitriy showed up, in one of the clan's automobiles no less.

"Five ruble on it being Flame related." The Sun informed the younger thief, smirking slightly as she hefted the case of possible Lightning gemstones over one shoulder.

"Sucker's bet, Tatiana."

Sonya had to agree with Cherep on that one. Sighing, she gave her elder sister a hug goodbye and went to see what had the Rain coming for her.

The rumors that spread of the Zolotovs having a Rain had resulted in a family taking their very… gifted young son in to them. An attempt to both safeguard said son and figure out how the hell he kept on conjuring animals and images out of thin air.

Mist, the blonde cat burglar thought… and semi-decent parents.

At least the brat was luckier than her brother and herself had been in that.

On the drive to headquarters, Dmitriy revealed he had finally gained some conscious control over his Rain Flames. The kid apparently had freaked out about maybe talking to someone that knew what was going on, again the parents had tried a doctor first when he mentioned a few strange things. That doctor's shady connections went for the Mafiya, so instead of more shady types he sent them on to the only syndicate he knew of that might be able to help.

The Rain had calmed the kid down using said Flames, only to realize his jade wasn't on him at the time when leaving to fetch her. A mental misstep, but one Sonya took note of as a working method.

Not that the baby Mist would need that kind of information. He was already spamming his Flames like a broken sieve, from all reports.

The Storm-Cloud took the last five minutes of that trip to mentally asset herself. Though annoyed this had interrupted Tatiana's farewell, she hadn't immediately thought bad of the poor kid. She had instead thought him lucky, maybe a little sourly but she wasn't a very sociable or decent person at heart.

Not looking too good on the 'Cloud and Mist equals hate' issue.

Maybe that was a personal problem. Mists reportedly tended for flamboyant or misleading, neither of which Clouds tended to understand or appreciate. She certainly didn't, it gave her a headache. A tendency for dislike wasn't the same as an assurance of it.

Dmitriy pulled into the garage he probably took the car out of, and Sonya let herself out while making a mental note to get him to teach her to drive stick-shift sometime this year.

She got very distracted from asking him about that, because she was mostly sure there hadn't been plants growing out of the walls when he had left. Judging by the swearing going on, it had to be a new feature.

A new Misty feature.

The blonde touched one lightly, figured it wasn't going to try killing her for it, and used a sharp jolt of Storm Flames on it. The only word that did the result justice was popped as her Flames ate the weaker Mist ones.

It also prevented her small amount of red Flames from trying to eat anything else because the Mist Flames immediately disappeared once her Storm ate its stability away.

Bonus.

The Rain that drove her here started copying her, but his Flames only had the Mist Constructs fading from where they touched rather than the destruction hers caused.

Leaving him to it, she started in on freeing up a way inside. Whoever the Mist kid was, the only fact that he wasn't trying to hurt the Zolotov vory was probably preventing them from lashing out in response to the hemming in a full corridor of their own headquarters.

He probably panicked without the Rain at hand to keep him calm, and probably tried barricading himself into a room or something. Sonya in fact found him in a closet, huddled in the back corner and about crying his eyes out.

"Stop it, fear is only making it worse."

The snotty little brat jerked his head up, giving her a watery and sour glare from red rimmed brown eyes. "Like you know what's going on. I don't want to leave my parents, I don't want these things to happen, I just want to go home!"

She reached out with a flat expression, and one hand popped yet another of his illusions growing out of the closet's walls with a palm full of red fire. "You, I, and your parents will be talking about this, and there is no way in hell we're taking you from them as you are neither an orphan nor a child at risk that needs a new home in the first place. I'm insulted you even suggested that."

He stared, first at her hand then at her. "You can make it go away?"

"I can Disintegrate your Constructions, yes."

The kid apparently decided she was his new best friend, crawling out of the closet a lot more cheerful than the Storm-Cloud had found him and even giving her a hug around her waist.

She was flat out confused. Her Flame had proved to be a threat to his, why the hell was she so acceptable?

XCVII (Monday the 17th of January, 1966. Zolotov Headquarters, Moscow, Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic.)

The boy's name was Samuil Usov Maximovich, baby Mist kid who scared himself into using his Flames after an incident with a half-feral dog tried attacking him.

Sonya admitted to herself that sounded better than her incident, she would've preferred the dog against three vory attacking her best friend.

The following week tasked every shred of social competence she had, and Dmitriy had to rescue her from a conversation more than once. Most of the talking between the baby Mist's parents and the Zolotov clan was done by the Sovietnik, their Pahkan's right hand and one of their boss' advisors.

The blonde thief had to figure out a semi-reliable way for the kid to keep on living with his parents but also get some help developing some type of control. Using Tatiana's rush-job search as their method of working through the gemstones available, they figured he did very well with both rubies and sapphires.

Better than either Rain or Cloud could make use of them, even.

She was again confused but took note of it anyways. Information was information, even if she wasn't sure what help or use she could put that to.

He didn't need the gemstone to Construct things, or to summon up his Flames at all. What it was good for was a physical reminder that it was possible for him to control everything he made.

His best result was with lapis lazuli, so Sonya fashioned him a necklace with a pendant of the mineral he could carry around with him.

He wore it on a leather band wrapped around his wrist like a bracelet instead, the brat.

Usov was proving to be a very wicked minded little Mist, badgering her on every scrap of information she ever managed to collect on his Flame type and how or why she managed her own control over hers. While somewhat annoying, it wasn't so much she minded answering his questions than the volume of queries he posed to her at once.

He was also all of six years of age, meaning he wouldn't get less annoying anytime soon and she wouldn't be allowed to swear near him for another few years yet.

The week proved to be very helpful in learning to control her own Storm Flames, as when Usov drew out an illusion he didn't intend to the former pickpocket got to pop them. It was still unwieldy, virulent fire that ate everything she touched with it, but she got to the point of being able to use just a dab to destroy Mist Flame Constructions.

She couldn't wait to try carving things again, wondering if she had just overpowered everything with Storm Flames because that was how Cloud Flames seemed to work and that was what she had started with.

The end of those eight days was when Usov stumbled onto a way to de-Construct his own illusions, once he felt safe enough to play with his ability more than freak out when it happened.

Meaning he didn't need a Storm Flame user around to pop what he didn't intend to create or a Rain to calm him down enough for the illusions to fade on their own.

It also freed him from Sonya's side, allowing him and his parents to return home.

Usov pouted at the news, insisting on giving the female teenager a hug goodbye. She nearly swore he did it just to make her twitch but he was also a little boy who had a very traumatic experience, so she put up with the touching. Also, his parents thought it was adorable he liked her so much.

They were also watching him hug her.

She could not win in that.

What she did manage was to insist Dmitriy should be the contact point for Usov. She was both the wrong type to help him develop much and intending on leaving Moscow soon herself. The first point getting her more leeway than the second unfortunately.

Little Mist brat did like the Rain himself, it was just that the Storm-Cloud had been the one to fetch him the second time he panicked and taught him what little they knew that made him so attached… Sonya was pretty sure that was how it went.

Mostly… maybe?

The incident didn't improve the Zolotov clan's regard for Dying Will Flame users, but it did make their Pahkan decide that having one at hand just in case was a good idea. When he took a hard look at what Flame users their clan had to them; the fact Dmitriy was already in place and the girls, even the new Lightning, on their way to supporting the clan from afar led him to think the Rain was the best one for that position.

Sonya snickered, only a touch guilty. The man she manipulated into the position mostly willingly rolled his eyes at her.

She supplied their clan's boss with the extra condensed research journal she had, tacking on that she would be sending in periodic updates via Arseniy if she ran across any more information and Dmitriy would update the Mist section when young Usov got there.

It was the first time she had met her crime boss, the man himself well over the age of fifty and currently in the middle of teaching his son how to manage their clan. Zolotov Milos Danilovich didn't hold himself as one of his vor or as a gentleman, he gave off the impression of a slightly violent-prone banker.

…or a loan shark. A very successful loan shark.

Then again, he ran a clan half made up out of thieves. The impression was probably either deliberate for the very action of dealing with his thieves or just how he was.

All in all, she liked him well enough. He was shrewd enough to know what she had been up to teaching Dmitriy how to be a Rain, and content to allow that effort free her from being needed at headquarters indefinitely.

The blonde had also pulled a lot of money for the clan in the last few years, chasing down the jewels to try focusing Flames through them. It bought her goodwill with her clan and her boss, enough so that she would be allowed to wander freely after her best friend.

Which, really, had been all that she had been after.

XCVIII (Tuesday the 1st of February, 1966. Moscow, Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic.)

"I do not see why we must be out right this moment." Sonya grouched at Cherep's back, following him down the icy road to wherever it was he wanted her to be.

"Circuses recruit mostly in their offseason, which is winter." He reminded her cheerily over his shoulder.

Point of fact, she disliked being cold. Since they lived in the USSR, she was generally cold most of the year. Thus, she tended to be snappish and irritable when outside during winter or spring.

Fall never really bothered her too much, somehow.

If her brother's circus panned out this time, then he would be set to leave with the onset of the spring thaw. Well… as much of a spring-thaw as possible in the early months of the year. Which for Moscow wasn't until mid-way through March, really.

This circus, the latest of her fellow Cloud's finds, was a bit larger than the others he had inquired around about and got invited to join. One of the 'Moscow Circus' branches, mostly made up of graduates of the Moscow's State College for Circus and Variety Arts but there were a few other performers scattered about.

It was a good size, never really had a major problem getting in and out of the Iron Curtain, affluent enough to afford wintering lodging for their actors, and likely well reputed enough so Sonya wouldn't be able to nix it easily.

Even if it was off-season for the circuses, that didn't mean there were lazing about instead of still practicing or performing. There were several amphitheaters within Moscow itself, some of which merely required a decent donation from the proceeds raked in over a night to be used. There was also the circus college, where performers could go and compare notes, practice, or find themselves an understudy or three.

The blonde thief had visited each, sometimes with Cherep dragging her along and sometimes just because of him but not with him. She did not understand his preoccupation with show business and becoming famous, because to her becoming famous, or rather infamous, was a bad thing.

Then again, she didn't really have to understand to support him doing it.

Cherep had gotten invited as a mechanic, more stagehand than performer but it was an in. The fact he had his own motorcycle and was perfectly willing to try his hand at stunt work was probably only a bonus. If they went with this that likely wouldn't happen until next year, when and if he developed an act or show for it or the circus master decided the act was needed.

"Cherep! My young friend. I take it this is the lovely Sophia?"

She very carefully didn't pull a face at the automatic assumption over her full name.

'Sonya' might be a nickname variation of Sophia, but it was on her damn birth certificate as Sonya. Since she could recall, her name had been Sonya though this life and she rather that didn't change if it didn't have to. It was difficult enough already, and she still responded to Rachel occasionally.

"Sonya, Master Liam. This is my little sister Sonya."

'Liam' was a very robust older man, with some very carefully arranged facial hair and very tattered 'work clothes'. He probably doubled as an announcer when the circus was on the road, not just the one that went out to promote the circus at any town or city they stopped at. The fact he was so willing to be seen out of his finery was a good sign, at least.

Her brother grinned good-naturedly at the older man jogging up to them, sheepishly scratching the back of his head while she gripped tight on her irritation.

If she blew this for him, he would sulk for days.

"We're here to poke around a little, and hopefully get her stamp of approval."

"Oh? And why would Miss Sonya's approval be needed?"

"Because Cherep is way, way too nice and someone has to stop others from taking advantage of him." The irritable Storm-Cloud gifted the man with a smile that was probably a little sharp around the edges.

Surprisingly, he didn't take offense.

Liam chuckled instead, waving them on to join him as he made for his troupe's lodging area. "Will you be coming with him then, little sister? You seem protective enough to chase after if you felt the need to."

"I likely will, yes. I do hope you don't mind."

"And you will not care even if I do, I take it." Stroking one of his rather fiercely waxed mustaches, he considered her as they walked. "So then… what can you do, Miss Sonya?"

"I am classically trained in ballet and dabbled a little in gymnastics."

Every female thief in the Zolotovs was given the same training, the grace and balance helped them get in and out of some rather compromising situations sometimes. Best of all it doubled as a cover, one that was both difficult to lie about having and an explanation over why they had some not so middle-class skills.

Sonya was tempted to tack on the sleight of hand skills she had, but this seemed to not be one of the shady circuses that allowed such things. She could adapt to that if so, though.

"I… also, can make simple jewelry. What I am interested in learning about is magic tricks, myself."

Liam smiled broadly at her, including Cherep as well even if he had remained silent as the two of them talked. "I think we might just be able to use you, Miss Sonya. If you don't mind performing in front of crowds or heights, I mean."

"I have no great fear of heights, it's merely the fall that gets to me." The thief seriously thought about the crowd question but had to admit she didn't know at all and told him so.

"The fall is something all sane humans fear, even my trapeze artists. As for crowds, we shall see soon enough." Liam considered her, then Cherep, then them both together. "If we do meet your approval, little sister Sonya, I would like to invite the two of you to practice with us this winter. If we all decide it is a great fit, maybe even the first show of the season or more. Yes?"

The younger Cloud sibling smiled back weakly, thinking hard.

Liam was very certain of both his circus and his people making a good impression if he was already angling to get her to agree to something in the future. He was either in desperate need of a mechanic, of a showgirl, or maybe even just that nice.

It still made her suspicious, though.

XCIX (Friday the 4th of February, 1966. Mafia Land.)

Liam's ever so imaginatively named Großes Volksfest had nearly a hundred people to it, most were performers and a good chunk were the carnies that ran game booths, but there were a range of other types sprinkled through. He even had musicians, though most of them made better acrobats.

Sonya reluctantly decided this was probably the best one Cherep could find within the Soviet Union, or at least one she couldn't dig up more than their fair share of dirt on.

The circus planned to move out, back onto the road, in mid-April. After a show or two to knock the winter rust off and generate a bit of traveling cash to last them to their next destination. That meant she had to do some rearranging in a fast hurry, especially if her brother was so dead set on going along with them.

There was both her stuff to move into storage and the last of Tatiana's, some jobs for Mafia Land to be done since she wouldn't likely get the summer off to handle other business, and the last of the things she wanted to get done in Moscow needed to be finished.

Somehow, she had to get that done while also making a good impression on what was likely her future co-workers while with this circus… and figure out where she'd fit it.

The former pickpocket was just happy she managed to both finish off Adrik's favor and took a raincheck on the teaching bit.

She eventually got herself apprenticed to 'Madam Crina', an elderly woman posing as a gypsy fortune teller… or who was a gypsy fortune teller. While she wasn't entirely sure how that came about since she met the woman when the old bat had been blind drunk, it was at least helpful in sorting out herself when it came to circus life.

Master Liam did accept the suggestion that she had the very last of her personal business to handle yet, that would probably repeat every winter. If she didn't harry off during the working season he claimed he didn't mind.

With that all done, Sonya informed their foster parents about the whole 'run away to join the circus' bit she and Cherep were going to do. Lisa laughed until she cried, oddly enough. Arseniy rolled his eyes at them both, asking when she planned on cleaning out the attic.

That had been a nightmare of shipping logistics, which Tatiana would be made to pay for her share the next time the foster sisters were in the same general vicinity.

The Storm-Cloud had to follow right after, so she'd be able to shove it all into her storage unit and try to grab two or three Mafia Land jobs at the same time. She might have had to heavily abuse her Propagated strength to muscle everything in place, but she managed it.

It was only halfway to the Thieves' Hall that the slightly harried thief noted she was being followed.

Mafia Land was such a volatile mix of criminals that it was sometimes hard to tell, especially when one faction of people was suspicious of everyone else who were suspicious of them and everyone else in return and so on. As she was running a little short on time, instead of counter-stalking them to figure out what the hell she noted what she could and kept going.

She'd leave it be for now, but if they kept it up when she came back then she would have to do a little digging herself.

As far as she was aware, a minor thief like her didn't rate special interest. A Flame user might gather that much, but very few people knew of her ability in that and if they had talked she would've heard something.

…or someone managed to connect the Zolotov Rain and her together in the last few months.

Usov was a snotty brat, but it had been impressed on him not to talk about his or any Flame ability to those that didn't know. However, a lot of people could outsmart a six-year-old… even a Mist using one.

It could've been his parents, but she had been sure they were too thankful for her assistance to sell her out.

Okay… there were several ways her Flame use might have gotten out. Renato might have even done it, he never did promise to keep it to himself. All she had on him was his own use of Sun, and she even owed him two favors to boot.

Sonya stopped once fully inside her Hall, palming her face and flatly refusing to panic. Dying Will Flame users were becoming more common, it was obvious she'd never be able to fully keep that from circulating around if anyone noted something a bit off about her.

She was being stalked… it didn't necessarily mean it was Flame related. It could be a mafia syndicate looking for a thief to use, or it could just be because she was pretty in a 'classic' way.

It could just be because they were bored.

C (Thursday the 17th of March, 1966. Arseniy & Lisa's home, Moscow, Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic.)

Sonya managed three Mafia Land contracts within a month.

None of them were clean affairs, one even forced her to run for it due to incomplete intel gathering on the situation. The Russian managed it in the end, without a new or interesting injury to try explaining away other than bruises from a bad landing and a few cuts from the running.

One also paid nowhere near the amount of risk mandated, and she lodged a complaint against the individual that commissioned the job in revenge. It would probably go nowhere, but it made her feel slightly better about getting duped into stealing from a government office while it was in use.

Hopefully that was the last time she would have to grab whatever in a fast hurry.

That left her with one month to try to integrate herself in the circus she and Cherep were joining. He had used his month without her to fit in rather well, his natural people skills at work in being cheerful and helpful.

The blonde was known as 'the young mechanic's sister', which worked for her. This was her brother's dream, she was just along because no one would be able to help him with it as their foster parents had helped the girls and the dork was way too damn nice still.

Madam Crina proved to be just as cankerous sober as she was drunk but held up her word in taking on the thief as an apprentice in the art of fortunetelling. Also, the tarot cards she had were awesome.

The incense she burned to cover the smell of alcohol abuse, not so much.

The older woman, Romanian if Sonya was any judge of accent, dressed herself like a serotyped gypsy. Scarves and shawls wrapped around her boney frame, a vest of garish colors, billowy sleeves, a full skirt with an elaborate apron over top, and knee-high boots with low heels she could probably wade through a tar pit in comfortably.

The Russian thief was jealous of her boots.

As Madam Crina's apprentice/draw girl/gopher, she was expected to dress like her. That was simple enough for the most part, swaths of fabric were easily gotten if you knew where to go.

Getting them in the patterns and styles Crina approved of had been the trick.

The haughty old woman had not been interested in holding her apprentice's hand through her shopping even if she was a picky old bitch, which had been annoying. The acrobats rather liked the bolts of rejected fabrics, so while irritating Sonya figured it wasn't a complete loss.

They, particularly the trapeze artist named Ivanna, informed her that she was the third such 'apprentice' in fortune telling Madame Crina had gotten. Several others had gone in under her for various other trades but none of the others stayed longer than a year as such, so they weren't particularly holding out hope she'd remain with the circus for long.

Cherep rather heartily disliked the old fortune teller when he learned of that. Sonya didn't really see the point in getting upset.

It would either work out or it wouldn't, and she'd find something else to do if so.

"…I still don't see why you put up with that."

"I put up with you for years, didn't I?" The Storm-Cloud peered at the seam she was sewing using a bit of sunlight peeking through the rolling clouds overhead to highlight her work.

That looked straight… right?

"Madame Crina is not much more of a chore, really."

Learning how to sew clothing had not been a skill she ever thought she would need. The crotchety old woman she was now working for begged to differ, as when they were on the road all mending or alterations had to be done when it came up. The thief would be stuck doing it for her now, and making her 'traditional dress' for when they opened the circus to customers.

Sewing a skirt hadn't been too hard, it was the shirt that proved to be tricky. She had cheated the hell out of everything and took apart one of her older long-sleeved shirts and a skirt way too short for her anymore, using the fabric as templates for her hand-sewn ones.

If the fortunetelling gig failed, she might just try her hand at costume designing.

"Are you seriously going to try to tell me you don't mind the old bat?" Her brother asked of her incredulously, finally finished 'tuning-up' his motorcycle for the nth time that same month.

He really was almost chomping at the bit to leave Moscow, now that he finally had a decent circus Sonya hadn't refused thinking about.

"Yes, pretty much." She stabbed herself in the thumb for a similar nth time and figured out what a thimble was for after examining the pricks of blood curiously.

She was sure sewing leather would be harder than fabrics, even if she had Cloud Flame boosted strength. The thief didn't care if Crina sniffed at her for months, she was going to buy the damn boots and vest somewhere.

…and probably a set of bracers she could keep some of her mini-Bec de Corbins on or in. They were too long to work as charms on a bracelet, and her red tourmaline key was on a thin chain around her neck. Sonya could wear two as earrings, and had the magnetic ear hooks to do so, but that was a bit too liable to stab her in the neck if she wasn't careful.

Those earrings would require mini-hammers without sharp ends to be less hazardous. A maul, maybe.

Oh hell, and a belt.

Pausing in her work, the Storm-Cloud glanced over to the skirt she finished after two weeks of work on it.

She forgot belt loops.

Sonya felt the corner of her left eye twitch, so she carefully gathered up her sewing supplies and set it aside with the shirt she had been trying to make. "I need something to do, not circus related or stealing or whatever."

"Um… like what?"

"…I'm going to go and destroy Aleksandr's floor one last time. Want to come with me and snicker at all the dumbfounded faces the little brats make when I do it in front of them?"

Cherep only thought about it for the sake of it, from what she got by looking at the smirk that crawled across his face as he stalled to tease her a little. "Sure."