section7mfu | "The Stork Twins" for the Short Affair Challenge 10/24 (Reply)

"A kindness" is a prequel of sorts to this story.

Challenge: The Short Affair

-Prompt Word #2 – Flavour

-Prompt Colour – Pink

Author: mrua7

Title: The Stork Twins

Word count: Approx. 1000

Napoleon had invited his partner along on a double date with the Stork twins from headquarters, as they were newest female addtion to the staff.

For once the Russian did not protest as he was interested in Clayina, who'd been assigned to translations. She seemed quite intelligent, among other things.

Napoleon had his eye on Aegina who worked in the secretarial pool. She and her sister were attractive and well endowed, as well as being platinum blondes, all plusses in his book.

Solo decided upon drinks at a cozy little club to start the evening, where they could be more intimate in their conversation.

Trouble was when they arrived, it was anything but intimate and quiet; the place had been decorated for Halloween, the waiters were bedecked in skeletal costumes, and most of the patrons were in costume as well. There was strange music being piped into the room and it gave a odd flavour to the already Halloweenish atmosphere.

How Napoleon had missed this aberration was already annoying him.

Illya leaned over, remarking on the entertainment. "That music is from the science fiction film 'Forbidden Planet." It was considered quite innovative as it was an electronic music score, credited as electronic tonalities."

"Whatever it is, I don't care for it at all," Napoleon groused."Ladies, we can go someplace else if you prefer."

"Oh no Napoleon," Aegina fluttered her eyelashes." This is groovy. I just love Halloween."

"Me too,"Clayina chimed in."It looks like they're going to have someone telling fortunes. See the sign by the crystal ball. "Madam Grusha, psychic."

A waiter approached the table. "What can I get you folks to drink tonight?"

"I'll have a scotch on the rocks," Napoleon said."And you Aegina?"

"Rum and coke for me please, easy on the ice."

"I will have a vodka martini dry, shaken please with extra olives," Illya said, looking to his date.

"Oh I'd just love one of those pretty drinks...a pink squirrel please?"

Plush red velvet curtains parted across the room, drawing their attention as an older woman dressed in what could only be an attempt to look like a gypsy, glided towards the table where the crystal ball was located.

"Ewww can we get our fortunes told?" Aegina squealed.

"Oh I don't see why not?" Napoleon winked.

They rose from the table, heading over.

For a small fee Grusha read Aegina's palm, followed by her sister's. It was nothing earth shattering and merely an amusement as far as Kuryakin could see.

"What about your crystal ball?" Illya suddenly asked in Romani, the language spoken by the Roma gypsies of Europe. Illya had gypsy blood and was familiar with their ways, having spent some of his childhood with his Uncle Vanya in their Romani encampment in the forest of Bykivnia back home in the Ukraine.

Her eyes widened with surprise. "So'i tjiro nav?" She asked him his name.

"Miro nav si o Illya Kuryakin."

"Where are you from?" She continued to question him.

"I was born in Kyiv."

"You do not look like Romani, how do you come to know our tongue?"

He lifted his sleeve, quickly flashing his eagle-of-Shqiperia charm bracelet to her. "I am a son of Kuric, and of the line of Ursari."

He'd bought the bracelet in a marketplace Rome; it came in handy once while helping Napoleon with a personal matter in Terbuf. Still it was part of his heritage and he kept it. Something made him wear it tonight…

"Ursari? I knew of that tribe once but they are all gone, wiped out during the war."

"Not all, as I am the nephew of Ivan Ursari, who was called Vanya. Now that you know who I am, you must tell me who you really are?"

"I am Nadezhda, of Ruska Roma. My family name is Ponomaryova. My people are Servitka from eastern Ukraine. I must say that it is surprise to meet someone from back home...so many of us were lost. Now I live here in New York eaking out living reading palms and such."

"Yes it is a surprise indeed," Illya nodded; he reached into his pocket, paying her fee even though she hadn't done a reading for him.

"Na! You pay, you get a reading, but this time I will use crystal ball.'

"Nadeshda Ponomaryova, I do not believe in such things."

"Well watch and learn...humor an old gypsy cousin."

How could he refuse her?

She closed her eyes, slowly waving her hands above the ball and moments later it was filled with an undulating green haze.

"Someone is near," she droned.

A face appeared in the ball, looking straight at Illya...a face he knew all too well. In a moment of panic he jerked back out of his chair, knocking it to the floor.

"Not possible!" He hissed.

"Illyusha Syad'te!"

He grabbed the chair and sat as ordered, how could he not obey as it was...his father.

"Papa?"

"Listen boy, you are in danger. Your companions are not who you think they are. Beware," the image and voice of his father began to fade.

"Papa do not go?" Illya pleaded in Russian.

It was too late. Nicholaí Kuryakin was gone.

Nadeshda opened her eyes, blinking a few times."What happened?"

"Good question," Illya said as he rose to face the Stork twins.

Having listend in, the two woman raised hands, each aiming a gun at Solo and Kuryakin.

Napoleon whispered."Can we go someplace else? Too many innocents here."

"Oh all right,"Aegina moaned."This wasn't supposed to happen so fast. It's all your fault gypsy!"

At that moment Illya dove at the twins, creating enough of a distraction for Napoleon to draw his gun and dart
both Stork twins; if that was really their name.

The agents lifted up the sisters, supporting their limp bodies as they headed towards the exit.

"Can't hold their liquor," Solo explained to the other patrons who were staring at them.

Illya looked back, but Nadeshda Ponomaryova and her crystal ball were gone...