Chapter 7:A Beauty That's Thin, White, and Rich

[Hilja Kukkanen/Sasha Pisarev]

"I don't know, this place looks...very retro American. I feel so odd to be here. It is a den for American capitalism. It makes me feel sort of icky." I confide in my brother and rub my arms as if the place gives me the creaps. I look around for anyone or anything that looks like it might be interesting. I feel sort of silly and touristy.

I notice a shady looking fellow and well, a shady looking gal. They look a little out of place in this city. Everyone else is so neat and wholesome.

"Huh, they don't look like they fit in well. Maybe they are outsiders to Florida. Perhaps we should warn them not to use that particular teleportation booth." I suggest.

[Maeve Cullen]

So he did have one! Pleased, Maeve didn't blame him for his caution. "I didn't." She states, deciding to leave a short silence after it before introducing herself. She didn't want him to think she was not going to, though, so it was only a few moments.

"My name's Maeve Cullen. My shop's in Cuba, where I live. I travel up to Florida a lot." She explains. "It really isn't that bad of a place." She adds, remembering all the bad talk there is about Cuba.

[Dr. Lonnrot Kukkanen]

I stand between my sister and Maeve. "My name is Dr. Kukkanen, this is my sister, Hilja. Can you please give us directions to the nearest diner or eating joint?" I don't particularly trust the stranger, but eating a meal is very important to me right now. Mayber eating with her will lessent the tensions slightly.

[Alexei Nacharade]

Alexei nods slowly.

"I was just in Cuba not to long ago,"He says,"I'm conducting some business for some of my associates in Moscow. We've entered into a...mutual partnership...with Allmart. I was just in Florida talking to some of them. You know, working out the last negotiations, deciding what plans to go ahead with and what to kill."

He thinks about that, and decides kill was actually probably a poor choice of words, but he inwardly chuckled at the irony.

"I'm Alexei, by the way. Alexei Nacharade."

[Hilja Kukkanen/Sasha Pisarev]

I sort of catch part of Alexei's statement about business with Allmart and something about kill. It makes me a little nervous and I wonder who or what exactly it was that we bumped into.

"I am really sorry for being intrusive. You see, we just ...came here accidentally. You looked like outsiders and I wanted to mention to you...as a warning...that the teleportation booth over there really isn't working very well at all. I would advise you not to use it." I say quickly. I look to my brother who seems oblivious to any danger. He's just hungry.

[Dr. Lonnrot Kukkanen]

I allow my sister to steer things agianst my starving gut. Thing shad been so hectic in the last few days that I, literally, had not eaten at all. I put out my chest, force back my shoulders and try to look tough. I see some unfriendly, buff-looking people laugh when they see me, so I make sure my Manala gun is handy.

[Maeve Cullen]

Maeve opens her mouth to do the usual 'pleased to meet you' crap, when two people step between them. She glances over what looks like some kind of doctor, a bit annoyed, and sneers slightly. "How about you-" Before she finishes her insult to the man, she notices the woman with him who had begun to speak quickly.

The strange woman reminds her vaguely of the scientist at Genetech, aside from the obvious nervousness. Maeve smiled, her anger instantly melted. Her nervousness was just too adorable. "Thank you for the warning, it's very kind of you." She hands one of her fliers to the woman, completely ignoring the man with her. With Maeve's luck, he was her boyfriend.

"This is my shop, Black Lotus, in Cuba, you should come by. I think you'd look even more beautiful with a good tattoo!" She notices the guy trying to look tough out of the corner of her eye, and almost snickers.

[Dr. Lonnrot Kukkanen]

Lonnrot gets slightly annoyed by the woman. "The things that you hate the most about other people are the thing you hate the most about yourself," he remembers. He doesn't like to think about it, but he can't deny logic and truth. I back down and let my sister do the talking, she's got better first-impression skills than me.

[Hilja Kukkanen/Sasha Pisarev]

"I would really like a tattoo and to travel to Cuba!" I say cheerfully. I am not sure what to think of what she said about how I look. I do feel shy though. I look over at my brother, who I know is still hungry. "We should go to Cuba and get tattoos!" I suggest to Lonrott. "You could get a giant brain on your chest and I could get "Revolutsiya" on my back. Don't you think that would be fun, bro?" I ask. I hop up and down excitedly.

"Then we can see Cuba first hand. I feel so upset that Allmart took over the island! My party had some rebels there...but I think they were killed." I say and feel a little crestfallen on that note. But, I don't know for sure what happened to them. They could very well be hiding.

[Alexei Nacharade]

Alexei looks at the two newcomers and smiles politely, then raises a brow and nods slowly.

"Teleportation booth? Interesting. I don't use those things often, anyway."

Alexei avoided the booths like the plague for two reasons. Claustrophobia for one, and he also hated the idea of being blinked somewhere, without knowing exactly where he was gonna be, or who would be there. Paranoid, perhaps, but he felt the fear was justified.

Alexei peers at the bookish looking fellow and smiles politely.

"You are looking pretty lost, my friend."

Alexei immediately shoots a quizzical and alarmed glance at Hilja at the mention of rebels. Could this girl be connected to the people Allmart wanted the mafia to eliminate? He marked her face carefully, but he didn't plan on making any slight move until Kaschei got back to him.

[Dr. Lonnrot Kukkanen]

"Very well," I respond, toughly. I had gone for a couple days now without food and could go some more time. "I'll get some tattos myself," I say cheerfully. I had allways loved tattos, agianst my peers better judgement and allready had one on my arm that I hadn't told my sister about, I guess she'd find out soon enough though. "I am," I respond to the stranger.

[Maeve Cullen]

Maeve is a bit surprised at the rebel comment, especially since she uttered it in such a public place. Of course most people knew a Manalist worker when they saw them, with those damned giant M's. And thankfully, there were none around here. Then she realizes she had also said "bro." Yes, so he isn't her boyfriend!

She knew she SHOULD go to the broken teleportation booth and report it, but she didn't really care. "Great! There's a food place right near my shop, too. I guess we'd have to find another teleportation booth, though." She glances over at Alexei, spots his alarmed glance, and tenses slightly. Maybe it'd be best not to invite him too even if he seemed pretty cool...

[Dr. Lonnrot Kukkanen]

"very well, away we go, just lead the way." I didn't trust these strangers, but my sister did, and I trusted her, somewhat. The girl seemed suprised that I hadn't been offended by the anti-manalist comment, I didn't much care. The Manalists had been cutting my funds lately, and I didn't like it.

[Alexei Nacharade]

Alexei carefully eyes Hilja, but then gives her his best, most handsome smile. Better keep her nice and close, just in case.

"What did you say your name was, miss?"

[Hilja Kukkanen/Sasha Pisarev]

I stop and think, oh, well maybe these are Allmart employees so I should say something so I don't look quite so suspicious. So, maybe...I don't know. I jump up and down and look around. I could pretend to have a psychological disorder, that might work. But then, I really want these new people to like me and if they think I am crazy, they probably won't want to talk to me. I might not even get my tattoo.
I decide to let the whole thing slip away and talk about more pro Allmart things.

"But, at least Allmart will develop it, which is why I really like Allmart and I am glad that the time I spent at the work camp made me so pro Manalist!"

Okay, that will make everything good now.

"Lonrott, erase their memories." I whisper under my breath. "Of that ONE thing." I whisper in his ear. My brother is trained to use Manala powers, which is quite handy. I however am weak and entirely pathetic.

I look at the man, who seems to be smiling at me nicely.

"I'm Hilja, but no one worth remembering."