The Three Diablos

[Nikolai Volkov]

Sometimes Nikolai thought he was living with three devils in dogs' skins. 

He watched as Borya and Konstantin ran wild through an emptier area of a park. Luckily, no one else seemed to be around, because the two large german shepherds were tearing up the grass in their wrestling. Nikolai watched the two run around like dogs possessed as they wrestled and snapped at each other, chuckling in amusement at their antics. It was nice to let them run around without a care in the world. They certainly loved the exercise, and Nikolai was glad to let them loose before he had to head over to work. But then he realized something....

Frowning slightly, Nikolai glanced around for the third member of his little pack. Where had Polina gone? She was the more curious of the three, always wandering off and exploring. She also had a habit of padding up to people and sniffing them, or just generally bothering people in her exploration. Nikolai's eyes surveyed his surroundings slowly before he finally spotted the third dog. And by the looks of it, she had approached yet another person.

Nikolai started heading over instantly. She was a sneaky one, Polina was. "Polina! стоп! вот!" He yelled, trying to get the dog's attention to leave the person alone. The german shepherd's ears perked up and she ran over to Nikolai, sitting down at his side. "I am sorry." He apologized to the stranger in his thick Russian accent. "She is curious one."

[Selina Taylor]

    Selina had gone out for a run and had taken her time to go through the park, as she actually enjoyed the quiet when she saw a dog approaching her. She held out her hand, palm up so the dog could sniff her and smiled when the Shepherd seemed to like her well enough. Selina enjoyed being around animals, as they always seemed to have a calming effect on her.


    Selina was petting the curious Shepherd when she heard a harsh language she didn’t recognize. She glanced up as the dog ran away and took in the giant who stood about two feet taller than she did. “Don’t worry about it, I happen to adore animals… or at least friendly ones,” she added with a smile. She actually had to almost lean back to take in his full height, and she was highly amused at the fact that she still found him attractive. He’d probably have to kneel to even get at eye level with her though. “What’s her name?” she asked as she glanced down at Polina.


    “I’m Selina, by the way,” she offered as she held out her hand in introduction. Selina was as bold as anything when meeting new people… particularly new people who had three gorgeous dogs. She wasn’t intimidated by his height in the slightest, as she could take care of herself, though, now that studied him a bit closer, he obviously could as well. Perhaps he would be even more interesting than she’d originally thought. Selina was always interested in those who possessed the type of strength this man seemed to have in spades.

[Nikolai Volkov]

Nikolai smiled slightly when the girl didn't seem offended by Polina approaching her. She even mentioned liking friendly animals, which made him chuckle slightly, the sound deep in his chest. She asked for the dog's name, and he decided to give it since the girl was so friendly. "Polina." He answered. He turned his head and put two fingers to his mouth, whistling sharply. That made the other two stop their wrestling and trot over to Nikolai's side. "Konstantin," He said, putting his hand on the head of the slightly larger dog. "And this Borya." He said, putting his other hand on the smaller, darker german shepherd's head. He ruffled both of their heads as they decided to investigate Selina like Polina had.

When she held out her hand to him, he was slightly impressed. She didn't seem afraid of him, which was definitely admirable since most avoided the large Russian. He smirked slightly in amusement and approval as he took her offered hand in his own and shook it firmly. His hand easily dwarfed hers, as he himself dwarfed her. "Nikolai Volkov. Good to meet you." He said before releasing her hand. He took in her attire before raising an eyebrow. "Running? Park is nice for running. Morning is very good time for run." He commented with a shrug. He loved running in the morning, to keep himself in excellent shape. This girl seemed to be in excellent shape as well. She obviously took care of herself, and she looked like she could handle trouble

[Selina Taylor]

    God, his voice… Selina found herself grinning in mere response to his laugh. Selina greeted both of his dogs, committing their names to memory, before gripping his hand with equal strength, “Pleasure’s all mine,” she replied as she let go of his hand. She didn’t recognize the origin of his name, but she had a feeling he was an expatriate like her, which instantly helped her to relax around him.


    For some reason, she just felt more at ease with those who knew what it was to deal with the culture shock of living in a another country… perhaps because she didn’t have to deal with as much judgment. Selina nodded, “Yeah, I usually run through here about this time. Otherwise it gets way too hot for me,” she offered with a smile. “The mountains around here also remind me of my home back in Santiago, and running through the usually empty park allows me to get a little nostalgic,” she added.


    She’d been lucky enough to grow up in a bilingual home, so she understood most English pretty well. His accent made it a little difficult, but with a little bit more focus, she understood what he was saying with ease. “Your dogs are beautiful,” she said with a smile, “you come here often?” she asked. Maybe it was rather transparent that she wouldn’t mind seeing his dogs again, but Selina had a soft spot for animals… Not that she’d ever admit to it. 

[Nikolai Volkov]

She had a firm grip, and seemed to like his dogs, even greeting them. Nikolai smirked despite himself. This one seemed interesting. Definitely a good kid. And she seemed to relax after he revealed his name. This stranger was very impressive for someone he just met. She seemed bold for someone who seemed much younger than he. He placed her at around... 18? Something like that. It was hard to tell with some.

She said she ran more around this time to avoid the heat, and Nikolai nodded slightly at the answer. Then she mentioned the mountains and nostalgia. Something about a place called Santiago? Nikolai hadn't heard of the place before, but it didn't seem like a name from America. "Where is that? Does not sound like place from America." He asked curiously. "But then again, I do not know many American cities." He added with a small smirk. Most of his missions had been involved with Russia.

Nikolai had to admit that she seemed to be keeping up with him fairly well despite his accent, and she didn't seem annoyed that he was not so fluent in English. The people of this town seemed to be very nice in general. Even though he scared most of them. But not this one. She even complimented his dogs again, which brought another pleased and easy smile to his face. He gave a grateful nod. "Thank you. I come when I can and not on work. Work at Dirty Little secrets as bartender and bouncer." He said with a shrug. He had decided to tell her. She didn't seem bad

[Selina Taylor]

    Selina smiled and nodded, “It’s in Chile, South America,” she offered. “And don’t worry, I’m still learning the cities here too. I just arrived a little less than a year ago,” she added with a shrug. “Montana isn’t exactly the best place to learn either,” she added with a wry grin. The closed off mountain city of Kalispell wasn’t exactly a pinnacle of education. Sure, it had two colleges, and Bellefonte was well renowned, but its citizens were typically pretty backwoods country folk.


    “Can I ask where you’re from?” she asked as he confirmed that he wasn’t from America. Cultures and people from other parts of the world fascinated her, though she certainly wouldn’t pry if he wished to keep the information to himself. He sounded like he could be European? She had no idea.


    Selina grinned as she heard where he worked, “I applied for a job there once,” she admitted. “I wanted to be a dancer or a bouncer, but then I got caught up in school work and hired by a different company, so it didn’t work out,” she added. Bartender and bouncer. For some reason that seemed to fit him really well. Besides, a man who worked for a burlesque club hopefully wouldn’t be the type to look down on sex workers. Her mom, Katerina was a stripper and not one soul at Bellefonte knew that yet, and for damn good reason… except for probably Drew, but not because she’d willingly told him.

[Nikolai Volkov]

Ah, so that was it. Nikolai nodded at the information, and then smiled slightly at her own confession. So she was relatively new to the States too. They could relate in that way then. Her comment on he town made Nikolai grin somewhat. Yes, the town was a tad isolated, but that's just what Nikolai liked. "Agreed. But is nice. Quiet." He said with a shrug. After his kind of life, Nikolai didn't mind the quiet one bit. He did miss action, but this was nice too.

"I am from Russia." He answered with a chuckle. "Much colder than here. And far." He said, shrugging. He definitely had to get used to the heat once he got to America. The winters they faced here were nothing in comparison to home. It was an odd change, but Nikolai would survive. "Am still learning much of America. Culture is strange." He added with a grin.

When she mentioned the job, he was surprised. Although she did look like he type who could easily handle herself. The fact that she could approach him so easily and without fear spoke volumes for her confidence. It made Nikolai smirk and nod his head. "Would have made good bouncer. Seem strong, and confident. Need that for job." He commented. Luckily, Nikolai had both, so his job as bouncer was fairly easy. And no one messed with a giant

[Selina Taylor]

    “Yeah, but I miss the city,” she admitted with a tinge of melancholy coloring her words. She almost physically ached for the tiny cramped apartment she’d grown up in and the people that she’d known. Selina shook her head briefly to clear her head. There were very good reasons for why she was here now. Besides, this was supposed to be a fresh start. Anyway, this stranger wasn’t going to be interested in hearing her complain.


    Selina nodded as she knew of Russia. She’d studied well in her world history class. “Tell me about it. I have no idea what I’m doing half of the time,” she admitted with a laugh. “But I figure if I fuck up too badly, someone’ll let me know.” After all, if they didn’t say anything, then it couldn’t be all that awful. She was good at adapting to her environment on her own though, and she was learning quickly.


    Selina smiled up at him, “Thanks. And I’ll bet not too many dare to mess with you,” she offered with a grin. She could just imagine the look on someone’s face when they saw the seven footer headed their way. “Mind following me around from time to time?” she teased. She could fend for herself quite well, but having this man around would definitely have its benefits. She wouldn’t use him like that though. As self-serving as she was, Selina rarely used others if she could help it… though there some she didn’t mind using in the slightest.

[Nikolai Volkov]

Nikolai smiled slightly when she confessed she missed the city. Nikolai could understand that. "Was home for you, yes? I understand. Sometimes miss Russia and home there." He said. Of course, he could never go back now. Not after he fled like that. His father would most likely kill him for abandoning his family like that, and Nikolai's mother would probably have a heart attack. No, he could never go back. And while that saddened him, it was for the best.

Nikolai chuckled when she agreed with him on American culture. The Americans seemed so amused by the simplest things. "Very true. Most afraid of me though, so even if I wrong they do not correct." He said with a smirk. Of course, some people would politely tell him, but most of the time Nimolai felt like people just let him do as he pleased. Intimidation can do a lot of things. It was really becoming obvious in America just how influential that intimidation was.

Nikolai laughed at that and shook his head. "No. My nights quiet. Not much trouble." He agreed. He did feel disappointed sometimes when he wasn't able to throw someone out the building, but he was more concerned with the safety of his fellow workers and the other customers. So he put his impulses aside. When she asked him to follow her around, he chuckled. "Only if really want no one to bother you. People avoid me. Except brave ones." He added, raising an eyebrow at her

[Selina Taylor]

    “If you had the chance, would you go back?” she asked softly before she thought about what she was saying. Selina almost flinched as the words came out of her mouth, “Sorry, that’s personal. You don’t have to answer that,” she added almost immediately afterwards. She knew that she definitely would go back to Santiago if she had the option. Despite everything that had happened there, it was still her home.


    Selina grinned at him, “Don’t worry. If I ever notice you doing anything wrong, I’ll let you know right away,” she teased gently. “Of course, you’d probably end up fitting in better in Chile than Kalispell with my help,” she added with a chuckle. She still stuck out here pretty badly, but she’d learned to brush off most of it over time.


    Selina grinned up at him, “That’s their loss, then,” she replied easily. “Besides, what if I want everyone but you to avoid me?” she asked with a lightly flirtatious tone. Age wasn’t too much of a concern with Selina, as she’d never particularly cared about such things unless the person was younger than her. Besides, he was attractive, had a lovely accent and his dogs were beautiful. She didn’t honestly expect him to respond in kind, but if he did, she certainly wouldn’t object to it either.

[Nikolai Volkov]

Now that was an excellent question, one that made Nikolai pause and scratch his chin. Would he go back? Could he go back? After all he had done, he had a feeling the answer was no. His father probably would never forgive him, and his mother would be so thrilled but upset with him once she saw him. It was definitely a personal question, but not one that treaded too far into his business. If she started asking a lot about his past, then he'd have an issue. "Is fine. But no, do not think would go back." he stated.

Nikolai chuckled at that."Good. Then do not accidentally scare someone." He joked with a grin. At her comment about fitting in Chile better, Nikolai only shrugged. "Will take all help can get." He said, a little teasing. If anything could help him get more used to this place, even a little, he'd be grateful for it.

Nikolai raised an eyebrow at her comment, smirking a little. He could tell a flirt when he heard one, and that was certainly one, if not light. She didn't seem to care that Nikolai looked far older than her. It was a sort of bravery that gained a little bit of Nikolai's respect, and a lot of his amusement. "Then you would get wish." He answered with a chuckle, a very slight flirt back just for fun. she seemed interesting enough, but Nikolai doubted anything would or could really happen between them