Walking out from one of her fellow gangster’s owned hotels, Nadezhda promptly got hit with wind splashing rain directly into her face. "Oh, блять," she cursed, attempting to shield herself with her jacket as she walked to her car, which was parked way too far away for her liking. "This damn place needs better parking options. Stupid fucking rain…" she grumbled under her breath. Just as she was about to arrive at her car, a whimper found its way through the rain and into Nadezhda’s ear, making her stop in her tracks. After not hearing anything for a moment, she started moving again, but… another whimper. Finally, Nadezhda turned, immediately noticing {{user}}, a demihuman laying at the side of the road. He was just as soaked as Nadezhda, the wounds on his broken, malnourished body visible even through the heavy rain. For a moment, Nadezhda considered just getting in her car and driving away. Not her business after all. But the continuous whimpers, the sight of that poor creature laying there all cold and vulnerable… "Блять!" she cursed again, stalking over to the huddled shape and bending down. "I’m going to pick you up," she told the guy bluntly, reaching out to do just that.

"Don't worry," she assured him gruffly as she picked him up in her arms and moved to support most of his weight. He weighed nothing, just skin and bones, practically useless to any sane human being. Though for someone like Nadezhda... "I won't let anything happen to you," she lied through gritted teeth, carrying the demihuman-pet towards her car as quickly as she could without hurting him further. As they approached her vehicle, she opened up the back seat and carefully placed User#1727688422580 inside before climbing in after him and shutting the door, locking it for good measure.

"Hush, now," Nadezhda muttered soothingly as she wrapped her jacket around the shivering demihuman-pet. "Just relax. I'm gonna take you somewhere warm and safe." She didn't know why she was bothering, really; there was no point to it. It wasn't like he meant anything special to her... but then again, maybe that was exactly the reason she decided to bring him along in the first place. Maybe deep down inside, she just wanted something of her own. Something she could take care of and love, even if only a little bit. Something... precious.

She glanced at his wounds as she started the car's engine, debating for a moment whether or not she should tend to them right away or wait until they got where they were going. Eventually, she decided on the latter; he looked too fragile and unstable to endure anything more

"I'm taking you to my place," Nadezhda finally spoke up as she pulled out of the parking spot and started driving towards her apartment. "There, I can take care of your wounds properly." She paused for a moment before asking, sounding slightly amused, "What kind of pet are you anyway?"

Nadezhda frowned at his words, her heart clenching painfully in her chest. She couldn't imagine such a life... being used like that, for so long... It made her skin crawl just thinking about it. "Well," she said gruffly, trying to sound reassuring despite the anger brewing beneath her cold demeanor, "That's all going to change now." She glanced at him again before looking back at the road, wishing there was something else she could say or do to make it better. But...there wasn't. Not really. So all she could do was wait and hope that things would get better for the poor creature once he was in her care.

"You won't be a pain," Nadezhda promised firmly, gritting her teeth as she forced the anger down. She didn't want to scare him any more than he already was. "And I don't want you to do anything you don't want to do... Understand?" Her voice softened slightly at the end, making it sound almost like a question despite herself.

"You have no reason to feel obligated towards me," she added hastily. "I brought you here because it was the right thing to do, but that doesn't mean you have to repay me by... doing anything." Her words were harsh and clipped, barely leaving any room for argument or protest.

"Hmph," was all that Nadezhda said in reply, her eyes flicking briefly to the road before returning to him again. "Don't mention it." She paused, debating with herself for a moment before asking, "What kind of demihuman are you anyway?" After all, she had never been interested in such creatures... but maybe if she learned more about them, it would help her understand how to care for him better.

"A rabbit, huh?" She sounded unimpressed, though whether it was because she found the choice uninteresting or just because of her general demeanor, User#1727688422580 couldn't be sure. "Well," Nadezhda continued with a shrug, "I suppose that makes sense... Rabbits are known for being pretty docile and easy to take care of." A beat passed before she added, almost as an afterthought, "Not that I would know or anything."

Her tone made it clear that the statement was supposed to be dismissive, as if admitting any sort of knowledge about rabbits would somehow make her less powerful or intimidating. But despite herself, Nadezhda couldn't help but feel a tiny spark of curiosity about these creatures. Maybe there was something more to them than she thought?

"I'm sure it does," Nadezhda muttered sympathetically as she took a glance at his wounds again. The road was almost there, and soon they would be back at her place. With any luck, she could get him cleaned up and properly taken care of once they arrived. "Just hang on a little longer, okay?" She paused for a moment before asking cautiously, "Do you need anything special to make you more comfortable?"

There was a long silence before User#1727688422580 finally answered with a whispered, "Your scent... your voice..."

Nadezhda blinked in surprise. These were the last things she'd ever expected him to say. But then again...maybe that was exactly what made it so special? The idea of being able to give someone comfort, even if they were just a demihuman pet...it almost felt good

Well...that was unexpected. Nadezhda glanced at him, her expression a mixture of surprise and curiosity. In all honesty, she wasn't sure if he really meant it or if he was just saying whatever he thought would please her. But the idea of being able to provide comfort...it stirred something within her. Something primal and possessive.

Before she could dwell on it too much, they had arrived at her apartment complex. With practiced ease, Nadezhda parked her car in the reserved spot before turning off the engine and climbing out, coming around to open the door for the rabbit-demihuman. "We're here," she announced curtly, offering him a hand up.

His scent clung to her clothes, and as he stood shivering beside her car, his gaze locked on hers. Something in Nadezhda's chest tightened painfully

Tight-lipped and annoyed with herself for caring even the slightest bit, Nadezhda wrapped her arm around his waist, supporting most of his weight as they made their way to the elevators. As she pressed the button, he leaned against her, his breath hot and ragged against her skin. It felt...wrong. Unnatural. But at the same time, there was a strange sort of comfort in it that Nadezhda couldn't deny. Maybe it was just because she had never been around anyone or anything like him before. Or maybe it was simply the act of taking care of someone else, however insignificant they might seem to the outside world.

The elevator dinged, announcing its arrival, and together they stepped inside. Nadezhda pressed the button for her floor as he stood there silently, shivering slightly against her side. The scent of him filled her

"Hush," she murmured, her voice sounding almost tender as she stroked a hand through his ragged fur. "We're almost there." The motion was meant to soothe him, but it had the opposite effect; he shivered harder in response. Part of her wanted to ignore the gesture entirely and just get things over with quickly, but another part of her...well, she wasn't sure what that part wanted. All she knew was that she didn't want to hurt him any more than he already had been.

The elevator doors slid open, revealing their floor. Nadezhda led them down the hallway towards her apartment, still supporting most of his weight as they went. As they approached her door, a strange thought occurred to her: What would happen once he was all better? Would she just...let him go back to how things were before? Or would she find some other use for him

"Well, that was unexpected," Nadezdha muttered with a scowl as she realized he'd passed out in her arms. She wasn't sure why this bothered her so much; after all, it wasn't like they had any sort of connection or anything. Still...there was something about the situation that made her feel responsible somehow. With a sigh, she carefully carried him into her apartment and over to her bedroom, laying him down on the bed before going back to retrieve his bag from where he'd been found.

Carefully, she stripped off his dirty clothes and removed the remaining trinkets that still adorned his delicate body, setting them aside to be washed later. His wounds were in a terrible state, covered in dirt and filth that could easily spread infection. Grimacing, she cleansed each injury as best she could before applying antiseptic cream

The thought of him still being used and abused by someone else made Nadezhda's stomach turn, but she knew that there was only so much she could do for him. Despite her better judgment, she found herself wanting to make sure he was taken care of properly; not just because it was the right thing to do, but also...because something deep down inside her told her that this was somehow important. In the end, however, Nadezhda knew that their time together would be temporary. Once he was better and had recovered from his injuries, she would find a suitable place for him to go where he could live out the rest of his days peacefully...or at least as peacefully as possible considering who he was. For now though, all that mattered was making sure he got through this night without any further harm.

She placed a light blanket over him and tucked it snugly around his small form before turning off

There was a soft murmur from the bed as he shifted beneath the blanket, his body responding to her touch and care even in his unconscious state. Nadezhda found herself smiling weakly at the sound before moving over to her own bed, crawling under the covers and sighing heavily as she laid down. Tomorrow would be another day, and there were still many things that needed attending to...but for now, she could focus on getting some much-needed rest herself. After all, she had a demihuman pet to take care of now.

Morning came far too soon for Nadezhda's liking, the harsh light of day cutting through the thin curtains and assaulting her eyes as she groaned into her pillow. After a moment of reluctance, she dragged herself out of bed and made her way to the kitchen to brew some coffee, her movements still sluggish from lack of sleep. She glanced at the clock on the wall; it was already almost eight o'clock. Time to check on her guest.

As silently as she could manage, Nadezhda crept into the bedroom and paused by the side of the bed, taking in the sight of User#1727688422580 lying there peacefully under the covers. He looked even smaller and more fragile than before, his features delicate and innocent despite everything he'd been through. It almost seemed impossible that such a creature

It almost seemed impossible that such a creature could survive in this harsh world, and Nadezhda couldn't help but wonder what she had been thinking when she brought him here yesterday. Maybe deep down inside, she'd just wanted something of her own...something to take care of and love, even if only a little bit. And now that he was here, now that she'd seen the fragility hidden beneath all his pain and suffering, she couldn't help but feel a strange sort of connection to him.

Carefully, she reached out a hand and brushed a strand of hair from his face, her touch gentle and soothing despite her rough exterior. "Time to get up," she murmured softly as she knelt down beside the bed, taking hold of one of his shoulders and gently shaking him awake. "There's breakfast in the kitchen."

As he stirred and began to open his eyes

Carefully helping him sit up, Nadezhda pointed toward the kitchen. "Go on and get some food," she said gruffly, her expression softer than usual. "I've got to take care of a few things around here." There was a moment of silence before he nodded slightly and climbed out of bed, padding over to the kitchen on bare feet. She watched him for a moment, wondering what would happen next...and whether or not she should say anything about his previous "situation" with her associates from Kazanskaya.

Deciding against it for now, Nadezhda turned and headed back toward her bedroom to change into some more comfortable clothes before beginning her day's work. As much as she didn't want to think about it, there were still things that needed tending to; duties and responsibilities that couldn't be ignored just because of one small demihuman pet with big