Fancy Meeting You Here [Ivan]

[Deleted]

"If a plane crashed into my room"

The day had been certainly a most interesting one. It was filled with more excitement than most, thrumming up a sort of electricity in the air Francis never usually had the good fortune to ever feel. It got his heart racing, pumping adrenaline into his system, and it was times like this when he felt like he could have some faith restored in humanity.

Returning from a Freedom Fighters meeting typically did this to him; even the chilling cold air couldn't damper his mood. It sent him into a pleased frenzy of a time where he can freely state his opinions of the enslaved "mutants", and be full-heartedly agreed with. They made plans, forming strategies of what they can do to help these caged people gain their freedom, and it was both hopeful and exhilirating. His position of power in the government had initially been a set-back -- people paranoid and suspicious he was spying on them, but he was slowly gaining their trust. It was tentative, delicate, and required a great amount of time and persistence, but it was gradually happening.

Being involved directly with the Freedom Fighters, of course, was an extreme risk. He could be exposed at any moment, if someone caught him going to or returning from a meeting, or if a pro-slavery person had infiltrated the group. The latter was unlikely enough since the Freedom Fighters themselves had recognized this loophole, and were strict on security and went to lengths to prevent unwanted trouble. They had a good system, although not completely perfected and without flaws, but that too was improving with time.

The forest was growing dark as the time grew later, and Francis had a flashlight on hand, just in case. He was going to have to use it soon, he knew, but it would be best to wait until he absolutely needed to -- just in case. Just a little paranoia to remain cautious and to prevent cockiness was never a bad thing, but he especially didn't want to expose one of the meeting areas of the Freedom Fighters. They changed location depending on the time and day of the meeting, but it was crucial their locations remained unknown to the general public. Besides that particular issue, Francis absolutely needed not to be caught; it would set off alarms in people's heads, and then suspicion would soon follow. He would be able to formulate a good excuse if it was only one occurence, but it became more risky as time passed on. It would just be in his best interest not to be caught in the first place.

He stepped purposefully, gingerly making sure to be quiet and not to draw intention to himself. There wouldn't usually be people around at this time, particularly in the Blackwoods Forest, but he could never be too careful. It didn't matter if it wasn't likely, the possibility was still there. He went along the set path, trying not think about the imminent darkness he was surrounded by, and stopped when the unwanted sound of footsteps approaching in his direction were suddenly audible. He froze, heart pounding in fear now, unsure of what to do -- quickly hide and pray he isn't seen, or trot on as if nothing were wrong? The former could result in a worse fate if he's caught against his wishes, while the latter would be less suspicious overall, and he still had the upperhand in using an excuse. The latter it was, then.

With his mind made up, Francis continued on his way as if nothing were wrong, prepared to answer any questions he may be asked.

electric has gangnam style

[Deleted]

but of all these friends and lovers

W

hat better to do before a shift at work than take a stroll? Ivan would never miss a chance to express how strongly he detests cold winters - but sometimes it felt as if the cold were his only company. It accompanied him wherever he went - seeing as he worked outside - and felt more like it was a part of him. Uninvited, relentless and unable to be chased away, but it was still a part of him. These conditions were all that he knew since childhood, so he felt as if he were better suited for it than most others. It felt as if it seeped into him sometimes, lingering there even when he was in warmer conditions. But that was when he'd want to ignore it most.

It hadn't snowed so far this day. The sky relished clear blue tones as the hours stretched on, but there hadn't been any clouds; even as that blue began to darken for the approaching evening. A developing night meant dropping temperatures, which was another thing Ivan hated most about having later shifts. The cold air always felt more biting and more dead while the moon was out.

Ivan figured he had some time to kill before said shift, and before he knew it he found himself wandering further from the city skirts than he intended. Not that he minded. More than likely that was owed to his wandering mind, which always served to distract him whenever he was on his own; not to mention around other people as well. His boots tracked prints in the snow as he went, which was stiff and leftover from the snowfall of the past few days. At least he was tightly bundled in the multiple layers of clothing he always wore: he had his guard uniform underneath a thick trench coat, his usual gloves and pink scarf. That did not do to prevent his face from being nipped, as one could tell by the matching shades of pink dressing either cheek and the very tip of his nose - but that was enough for him to handle.

The taller buildings of Archadia were now but distant landmarks on the horizon behind him. When he was pulled from his daydreaming thoughts, it happened in an instant. He was approaching closer to the forest, which was known by nearly all citizens as somewhere that was discouraged to visit if you were by yourself or if it were dark out. The terms 'dangerous' and 'intimidating' floated around Ivan's head...

...but did nothing to frighten him! If anything, that just made the forest sound more exciting. What could be in there that made it so frightening? It was just a forest, wasn't it? As he neared closer, Ivan began to wonder if it was because of some animals in there. It was hard to imagine anything other than cute little creatures. Ivan had seen the forest several times before, after all, and nothing too daunting seemed to ever come out of it.

During all that wondering, he almost didn't notice that there were snow-crunching footsteps coming from someone else's shoes as well as his own. A figure came into view, someone whose features were at first familiar and, after a few seconds, recognized by the Russian. It always pleased him to run into an acquaintance from the past. That always meant bigger hope for making friends in the future.

Though Francis wouldn't be coming from this forest without reason, would he? That was a detail Ivan quickly picked up upon, but did not address right away. Francis was lucky he had come upon someone who sometimes liked to dance around any suspicions first before confronting them.

"Mister Francis, hello~" he called, smirking. He caught up with the Frenchman to fall into step at his side, but not without casting a glance back to the forest first. No, he wouldn't question that right away. "You came out off the forest alife, dit you? I guess it is not all hauntink as it is hypet out to be."

Word Count: 674
Tags: Francis Bonnefoy
Notes: 

by worldie for jen

[Deleted]

"I wouldn't even flinch, I couldn't try to move"

The sky was now a deep indigo color, and the outlines of the bare trees became hard to distinguish from the darkness. No sunlight longer lingered, and the moon began to claim its rightful place in the sky as it ascended majestically. The stars were starting to come out; small, shining lights in the distant. Only a few were present, but soon the sky would be full of them. The cold was starting to nip at his face, slowly leaving a flushed red sort of color on his complexion, and it was becoming just a little bit numb.

The footsteps were drawing nearer and nearer – he must be approaching towards them. But it was too late now to try and turn back. While he still had time, Francis steadied his breathing pattern and loosened his grip on the flashlight in his coat pocket, relaxing and taking the few seconds he had to compose himself. His mind was already constructing various excuses – just going for a walk was one. Late at night? In Blackwoods Forest? Alone? Far too suspicious for his liking. That one already had a ridiculous amount of holes, the defense could easily be torn apart effortlessly. He needed something close to the truth – plain, fabricated lies were never successful.

The other person wandering these woods finally became visible – a tall, rather large shape began to take form. Francis felt his heart drop in his chest as it started to thud heavily, and he swallowed. Ivan could be quite the lovely man; Francis enjoyed his company very much, but not tonight. Not now. He was aware of Ivan's current occupation as a guard in the Underground, and it was clear he supported the government and its stance on slavery. Ivan would suspect something wasn't right here – he was smart. This would not turn out well if he slipped up the slightest.

"Mister Francis, hello~. You came out off the forest alife, dit you? I guess it is not all hauntink as it is hypet out to be."

Ivan's soft, accented voice broke through the shaded silence of the woods, and Francis involuntarily cringed. It had been quite some time since he had last heard it; he had missed the sound, as he was rather fond of Ivan upon their previous encounters, but right now it was the last thing he wanted to hear. But even his greeting already seemed to be laced with something knowing – although it could just be paranoia instilling falsities. Incorrect assumptions would not fare well in this predicament.

“Oh, bonsoir, cher Ivan! It certainly has been a while.” Francis returned warmly, feigning surprise in his exclamation. He was perfectly good at acting after all these years, it would be fine. Both his reputation and the Freedom Fighters were in jeopardy right now, and he needed to find a way to remedy that as soon as possible. ”Ah, yes. Everyone seems to be just a bit superstitious around these parts," he chuckle, then promptly changed the subject, hoping Ivan maybe wouldn't notice if he prayed hard enough. "How have you been, mon ami? Well, I hope!”

electric has gangnam style

[Deleted]

there is no one compares with you

I

van had been scrutinizing Francis's face ever since his approach, leaving the forest path from which he had come out of his line of vision. Shadows were cast around the two and it seemed that the glow of their pale faces matched that of which the sky emanated -- dusk was upon them, softening and only just beginning to darken their appearances. Ivan had arrived just at the right time, where it was not yet too dark and he could still make out the details that surrounded him.

"Oh, bonsoir, cher Ivan! It certainly has been a while."

That response he received came off strong and confident. 'A while' suddenly seemed to be a farther stretch than Ivan had originally thought, since he had nearly forgotten how pleasant it was to hear Francis's voice. After all of these years hearing and speaking his own thick accent, it had long since become bland and common to him. It wasn't often that he got to hear accents other than Russian. Even if he couldn't quite understand them, he did always enjoy the company of foreigners and anticipated to hear more of their voices. It was almost refreshing.

Of course, to him, Francis seemed to be a different case than any other familiar voice. Why it warmed him to hear French terminology woven in with fluidly spoken words, he couldn't quite say -- Francis's voice alone was so charming on its own and he could hear a trace of indication that the man was pleased to see him. Bonsoir was a greeting of sorts, he knew that, and cher was not 'mister' or 'sir' but something he could recall as being affectionate and sweet. Was it 'dear'? In any case, it all made Ivan glow like the rosy pink spots on his cheeks.

Though before he could get himself too wrapped up in that, he had to remember to keep his train of thought on its tracks. Francis continued speaking just as Ivan had hoped, but he felt the need to try and pick up on anything that might have seemed... off.

"A while, da," he mused absently, before shifting onto the comment that had been made in response to his first exchange, "I dit not think it was superstition before. Someone most haff hat a bat experience here, or they knew somthink they shoult not. I always thought it lookt normal."

He did notice that their conversation had moved on to an unrelated question -- but that was just friendly small talk, wasn't it? They must have things to catch up on with each other. It didn't disappoint Ivan that Francis wanted to move on to something else, nor was he entirely willing to let go of what he had just seen.

"I haff been well," he agreed, since he wasn't just going to ignore that inquiry. That response was not at all as truthful and cheery as he always made it out to be, but it kept others from fretting over him too much. As much as he might enjoy that type of attention from Francis, it would only diverge the subject even farther away than before. Well sometimes. Only thanks to the vodka..

It dawned on him that he couldn't think of what to continue with. Nothing which he could recall had stood out about him over the past few weeks. Work often wasn't the most exciting thing to discuss. But not continuing to speak meant that he might lose the other man's attention -- Francis would probably even find something else to do with his time. "How are you, though? Ant what were you doink in there~?"

The joviality was forced back into the tone of Ivan's voice. He couldn't decipher Francis's behavior just as he couldn't think of what there was to do in those woods at this time -- he couldn't even be sure whether he was doing anything other than admiring the trees and everything else. There was suspicion, certainly, but something in Ivan's mind didn't want him to think of it. If he did, that could mean shattering the amiability and general good thoughts that they shared in this moment, right? He hated to make assumptions like that about friends, but... Unfortunately he had settled on a thought, that if Francis attempted to avoid the question this time he would have to make sure that he did not get away before it was answered.

Word Count: 734
Tags: Francis Bonnefoy
Notes: 

by worldie for jen

[Deleted]

"My mind is on you, my mind is on you"

The attempt of small talk to deter away from his emergence from the forest had backfired on him. It was clear that he didn't have control of this situation -- at least, not complete control. He couldn't keep the topic of the conversation focused, although it had just been barely initiated, Ivan had already broached the subject he had wanted to avoid. But that was just like him, wasn't it? Francis wanted to laugh at the horrible timing, but Ivan always seemed to know when there was something wrong -- and, unfortunately for him, he was good at casually digging for the answers he wanted.

"You know the human race as well as I do, they always find something suspicious looking to place to trust their fears with."

But the best thing he could do for now was to remain just as light-hearted as he always did, tell the other what he wanted to hear, and attempt to move the conversation past it. If he focused on another conversational topic, he would be able to effectively move away from the current one. It relied on Ivan's willingness to loosen his preoccupation with the answer, however -- something that Francis suspected wouldn't be a walk in the park -- or a forest, for that matter.

"I am glad to hear it!" He beamed as he normally would if he had been found in any other situation. All he had to do was not act too fast or too slow; unfortunately, one was never a good judge of their own speed or other characteristics when it came to this. But he would not be deterred from this predicament so easily. He knew he was capable of untangling himself from the tendrils threatening to consume his body -- he hadn't been practicing for nothing, after all.

"I am perfectly fine. And, ah, going for a stroll. My walk was refreshing, surprisingly enough," he added a casual chuckle here for effect, "a friend of mine had informed me that he had often enjoys coming here for when he needs to clear his mind. He had insisted, despite the popular belief, it was a nice, quiet place. Work has been stressful lately, I am sure you can understand! I took his advice, and what do you know -- Mother Nature can be miraculous when she decides to be kind to her children."

The explanation wasn't particularly lengthy, nor too short -- but it might have been a few more details than necessary. He hoped he had been convincing, but to be sure, he had to guide the topic subtly away to something else. "It has been some time since we have last seen each other." Sincerity was key here. "How is your work?"

electric has gangnam style