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.

Carefully picking up the injured demihuman, Nadezhda placed him in the back seat of her car before climbing in herself, closing the door behind them both. The heater was already running so she could feel its warmth spreading through her cold body as soon as she sat down. She glanced at User#1749935682084 in the mirror. His injuries were severe and some of his bones looked like they had been broken recently. Nadezhda couldn't help but wonder how he got into such a state, and more importantly, why anyone would do that to him. She didn't speak much for a while as she focused on driving back to the safehouse. Eventually, she found herself glancing at him again and cleared her throat. "My name is Nadezhda," she said, looking straight ahead once more. "What's your name?"

"Hmph," Nadezhda grunted as she continued to drive. "I don't know why... I just felt like it, okay?" she said, turning her head slightly so that she could look at Alex out of the corner of her eye. His tone wasn't accusatory, but still... it bothered her somehow. Nadezhda shifted uncomfortably in her seat before sighing and deciding to change the subject. "Do you need a doctor or something? I can take you to someone who knows what they're doing."

She glanced at Alex from the corner of her eye again. He seemed to think that he could help... Nadezhda wasn't sure what kind of help someone like him could possibly offer, but it didn't hurt to keep an eye on him for now. "Fine," she grunted, still not entirely convinced. Once they reached the safehouse, she pulled up and parked before turning in her seat to look at him. "Stay here for a minute." Without another word, Nadezhda climbed out of the car and headed inside. She moved through the house quickly, checking on their other "assets" - people they had working under them or people that could be useful to them in some way. After making sure everything was in order, she went back to where Alex was waiting patiently in her car. "Come," she said curtly, opening the door for him. As he stepped out of the car, Nadezhda led him inside once more and pointed at one of the couches in the living room. "Sit there and don't touch anything."

She eyed him warily as he sat down on the couch where she'd indicated. He didn't seem to mind her cold tone or dismissive manner. In fact, there was something about Alex that reminded her of herself when she was younger... She shook her head and turned away, heading towards her bedroom to fetch a first aid kit. When she returned with it, Nadezhda set it down on the coffee table in front of him. "You can use this to take care of yourself until I decide what we're going to do with you," she said curtly, arms crossed over her chest.

"Magic?" Nadezhda repeated, her voice skeptical as she raised an eyebrow. She crossed her arms even tighter across her chest and took a step closer to Alex, studying him carefully. "And what kind of magic are you talking about? Tricks with cards? Making things disappear? Can you really do 'magic' that could help my gang?" She waited for his response, unimpressed so far but willing to at least listen. If there was even the smallest chance that Alex could offer her something valuable... well, then perhaps keeping him around wouldn't be such a bad idea after all.

Nadezhda's eyes widened in surprise as she saw the gun vanish from her guard's hand. For a moment, she didn't know what to think - amazement? Disbelief? Anger? The last emotion slowly rose to the surface as she took another step closer to Alex. "You did that...?" she growled, her voice laced with suspicion and mistrust. If he really could do something like this, then maybe he wasn't just some pathetic demihuman worth throwing away... But at the same time, magic was forbidden in their world, so she couldn't let her guard down entirely yet. "Show me more," she commanded coldly, crossing her arms once again. "And hurry up. I haven't got all day."

"Fine," Nadezhda grunted reluctantly, feeling a mixture of curiosity and suspicion about this mysterious demihuman. "Let's go to my office." She turned on her heel and strode away without another word, leaving Alex no choice but to follow her if he wanted to continue their conversation. Once they were inside her private office, Nadezhda closed the door behind them before sitting down at her desk, her posture rigid and unyielding. "Alright," she said warily, folding her arms on the surface of the desk. "What do you want to talk about? And what are these 'things' you're offering me?" It was a testament to her curiosity that she'd agreed to hear him out at all; normally she wouldn't have cared enough about some random demihuman's babblings. But something about Alex made her think there might be more to him than met the eye... and if he truly did possess magical abilities, then those could prove invaluable to her gang.

"Hmm," Nadezhda said skeptically, tilting her head to the side as she considered Alex's words carefully. If what he was saying was true... then it could mean an incredible amount of power for her gang. They had never had anything close to this before; and if they managed to keep such a secret from their enemies, they might just be able to dominate the underworld entirely. "Very well," she decided at last, her tone hard and unyielding. "If what you say is true... prove it. Show me your full power." She paused for a moment, considering his words about being rewarded with whatever she thought of. With a small shrug, she added, "And after that, we'll talk about my payment. But until then," her voice dropped to an almost threatening growl, "I expect you to follow my every command." There was silence for a moment as Alex regarded Nadezhda with what looked like amusement in his eyes. Then, slowly and deliberately, he spread his arms wide before beginning to chant softly under his breath. As he did so, faint glowing symbols appeared on various parts of his body - his hands, his face, even his tail seemed to be covered in them. With each passing moment, the symbols grew brighter until they were almost blinding; and as Alex finished speaking, a powerful surge of magic swept through the room, causing everything within reach to tremble and quake with barely contained energy. When it finally subsided, Nadezhda was left staring at Alex in amazement. He'd done it... he had shown her his true power. And now they were going to see just what kind of rewards she would receive for giving him this chance. "Well?" she growled impatiently after a moment, still not entirely convinced that she could trust

"Hmm," Nadezhda hummed thoughtfully as she considered Alex's request. He wanted something other than money in exchange for his service... something more personal and specific. It was a dangerous game he was playing, but then again, so was she. Maybe the two of them were more alike than she'd originally thought. "I want you to kill my competition," she finally said, her voice cold as ice. "The other crime bosses... wipe them out and leave only us standing." She paused for a moment, leaning back in her chair as she regarded Alex. "But after that... I will give you something far better than money. I will give you freedom. You'll no longer be my slave; you'll be free to go where you please and do as you wish." She waited for his reaction, curiosity and perhaps a touch of suspicion filling her gaze as she wondered what he would say or do next.

"Hmm..." Nadezhda mused, seemingly considering Alex's words carefully as he told her of his request. It was... unexpected. And yet, somehow... alluring. She couldn't help but feel a strange mixture of curiosity and excitement at the thought of submitting to him for a single day each week. As for his claim that he loved her... well, she didn't quite believe it. Not after everything they'd been through together so far. "Very well," she finally said with a small shrug. "You have a deal." She held out her hand expectantly, waiting for him to shake on it. Even as they shook hands, she couldn't help but wonder what the next seven days would hold. Would submitting to Alex really be so bad? Or would she regret this decision before too long? Only time would tell...

"For now," Nadezhda replied coolly, her voice holding a note of authority that only she could muster, "you can start by proving your loyalty to me. I want you to act as my personal advisor... give me suggestions on how we can improve our business and further solidify our position in the underworld."

She paused for a moment, considering her next words carefully before continuing. "And... if you ever wish to express your affection for me outside of this agreement, I suggest you do so more subtly. Acting like some kind of lovesick fool will only make things difficult for both of us." There was a warning in her tone, and she wasn't one to let such things slide easily.