Between the docs farewell and the escorting of merchant

Dimitri grimaced at the punks reply. “Ah yes, the manifest, why didn't I think of that? Only a matter of finding it I assume…”

His eyes wandered down the hallway, regarding the industrial corridor. “Is there any butter?”, He said turning to regard the wiry punk.

“Not a lot but some maybe.” Vas answered eyeing the man with suspicion. The boy has not to clue where this line of question was going and was actually curious if explosives were involved. If they were how do you make butter explode.

Dimitri eyed the Scrappy kid. He had a mouth on him, seemed the sort to bring trouble on occasion. Dimitri smiled. Just like him.
He started to walk away,
“Then this does it. Follow me young Vas, I show you true delicacy.”

Vas blinked. “But … I still got some work to do and like my brainpan where it is. Firmly in my head.” Vas explained clearly talking about the pit bull that was Riley. “Besides where heading to Ezra clear across the galaxy well have plenty of time when we dust off.” The young punk pointed out to the big Russian.

Dimitri stopped and about-faced, “come on pizdets, there is no time like present for Slavic snack”

The promise of food was a strong pull. Vas was still at the bottomless pit for a stomach stage in life. “All right… “ Vas acquiesced. “... But soon as she who will not be named comes calling I'm dropping you like a bad habit.” The boy smirked trailing after the bigger man.

Dimitri smirked “I expect nothing less. Now come, to the kitchen!”

-----------–--------------------------------------------------

The Russian rubbed his hands eagerly together as he opened the fridge. “Ok tarovisch, you search for some meat and butter. I'm new so trakhni menya if I know.”

In the meantime, Dimitri located a pan and prepared some bread. Black bread from kvass, two slices, the bag was used a good fourth of the way by now.

Vas watched with fascination at the kitchen witchery taking place. It might as well have been eye of newt and toad of frog over there. Cooking was a skill beyond Vas’s grasp for some reason. Things had always seemed to go wrong, dare he say, he was cursed in regards to the culinary arts!

Vas hopped to it rummaging through the fridge. Right now it was well stocked but the trip to … well, he hadn’t been told yet where they were headed but by given the large order of supplies, it seemed it was going to be far.

“Eh … that's odd. I was pretty sure meat and butter had been on the list.” Vas said scrunching his face painfully. Yea his nose was still healing and had traded the black and blue for a lovely developing sunset across his face. He and Jacy had split the list and … why would she not buy any meat or butter?

Dimitri began pan frying the bread he had available, toasting it lightly, as he whistled a tune.

“It isn't going to be too great, I haven't been able to find much in this kitchen” Dimitri paused for a moment, fussing with the toast.

“If you have any cheese that would be great or mayonez. But we'll need salt and pepper for sure tarovisch” He called over his shoulder. Dimitri stiffened as he realized what he had said.

“Eh … that's odd. I was pretty sure meat and butter had been on the list.” Vas said scrunching his face painfully. Yea his nose was still healing and had traded the black and blue for a lovely developing sunset across his face. He and Jacy had split the list and … why would she not but any meat or butter?

“Oh well, when it is end of month, we make due. What happened to your face, malen'kiy?”

“Oh. The nose? Eh things got playful with some Sun On Yee lese on Persephone. One of ‘em got me on the face.” Vas snickered. “I got him back good for it. Figured it was only fair.”

“Ah be careful, we don't fight too fair in the stacks haha. Be glad you didn't live there. Something might have happened haha…” He gave a dying laugh before sitting in the silence for a second.
He coughed to clear his throat.

“What bad side of the planet you grow up on where a fist fight might turn to a knifing.” Vas said with a raised eyebrow.

“The cold side. Believe me there are worse things that can happen.” Dim said bleakly. “Anywho let's make due, eh?”

He moved to the fridge and secured some produce. He doused the greens in water then slid them into the pan, removing the bread and peppering them with salt and pepper.

“You know Vas, my babushka used to make the best of meals. The kind of stuff that'll make a grown man cry.”

He put them onto the bread, onto a sheet and into the oven, watching it carefully.

Well , that made Dimirtir a lucky man for sure. His mom never really cooked much and his father … well … that man was above such ‘shleb’ work he supposed. “Never really had much in the way of homecooked meals.” Vas admitted leaning on the counter to watch.

“Well no worries. I have been told I am good cook. I learned from my family how to make hearty meal from anything!” He chuckled and it died off.

“So uh ... any real reason why you didn't get much in way of home cooked meal?” Dimitri asked.

“Ma, didn’t cook much she worked for a living you know? And my old man … he was around but …” Vas cleared his throat. “ … I wasn’t family to him. Not really.” He explained. “And when I got tossed into a monastery during the war there was nothing but rice and veggies. Vegetarians, you know? ‘Side back then meat cost an arm and a leg even if they weren't.”

“Ah. I never really got Western diet fad. Food tastes good, EAT it, just don't eat too much. Good food doesn't need to come in huge size.” Dimitri paused and watched the greens wilt in the low heat of the oven. The sounds of the ship echoed around as it idled.

“My family was really close, I guess. Maybe it is cultural thing. Most the time you stay with family and build on, pass down everything.”

“Wasn’t a cultural thing.” Vas murmured, at least it wasn’t a cultural thing in Vas’s case. He had never truly been wanted. In Jacy’s case she was only as good as she dance and when she couldn't do that she lost her value. Maybe that's part of the reason they started connecting so well. “You have siblings?” Since he seemed so family oriented that stood to reason right?
“I guess that shows what I know, some pizdets from the lower block hehe. I had some siblings, two brothers named Niko and Oleg, and a sister, Anna”[pronounced anya] He said, smiling faintly.

“Only child I assume?” Dimitri grabbed a towel and moved to pull the greens and toast from the oven.

“Only kid by my ma. I was my old man's second kid.” Vas answered watch the kitchen magic happen.

“I am sorry to hear that. To have close sibling… is really something”

What Dim-sum was doing SEEMED simple enough. When Vas had the cash he would but his own stuff to try cooking. No good wasting food that as bought for the crew if he messed up. “You traveling ‘verse to make money for ‘em?” He asked. It wasn’t an uncommon thing. Dim-sum definitely struck Vas as both the family man and the responsible type when it came to his and his own.

“Sadly no, I'm afraid I can't really do that.” Dimitri plated the bread unceremoniously. He didn't bother asking Vas the same, he seemed the loner type. Not taking much of a shining to his family to boot.

“It is actually crazy story how I got here on this ship.” He dusted off his hands and handed Vas a plate.

“Does it involve your previously ship breaking down, being trapped in the cockpit and wondering what kills you first the cold or hypoxia?” Vas teased taking a bite out of the toasted treat. Regardless Vas had gotten the hint. If you were so family oriented but traveling the verse and not sending any money back to them because he ‘can’t really do that’ the result was pretty clear why.

“Something like that” he said grinning as he watched Vas munch away. “But in all seriousness, it is quite the story if you would like to hear it”

Vas smiled. “I’m all ears.” Giving the man odd penchant for … being odd this was going to be rather interesting. Maybe it would explain the whole Fed in a box thing.

“Well I will start from the beginning. Before I became the man you see today I was a simple man, a factory worker.” He took a bite.

“It was hard, hot work, but it was plentiful and paid decently. My father worked in a shop, close to retirement around the time of my story, my mom stayed home, as is tradition, with my younger sister Anya, who went to school. We, of course, supplemented her with our history but she spent her days in class with other children. Me and my brothers worked about the city, odd jobs and what have you. Me? I'm was getting tired. Back-breaking day after back-breaking day, toiling just to keep family afloat, forget saving or moving up.” Dimitri said taking a long breath.

“I wanted something more.” The burly man emphasized. “I kept my head in the clouds far too often as I'd go to the factory. Eventually, I come to the brilliant conclusion that if I saved enough money and played my cards right at the right table, I could beat the system. Same idea as any other gopnik, beat the capitalist cycle, get out, get away. So I save. I scrounged. I worked some odd jobs at the sacrifice of sleep to get some credits to get me a seat at a table. I did well. Really well. I made back my money with some gain along with it.” Dimitri said proudly.

“I continued doing this, using winnings to finance more gambling, feeding the system, thinking I can get away. Eventually, I made my way to the wrong table. I lost it all in a bum hand, busted. It was devastating, months of work, gaining inches, only to have it stripped away by some piece of shit in a striped jacket. I lost it, they had to kick me out- now mind you I wasn't like how I am now. I was thinner, so they didn't have much trouble. I'm out there in the cold, credits gone, tired, and nothing to show for my work. I was desperate to make it up. I turned to the one place no one should. Can you guess what I did, young one?” He said taking a bite from his bread.

“Did it involve the business end of a dangerous object?” Vas asked jumping to the natural assumption. Dim-sum was colorful, to say the least.

“Not yet, tarovisch. I went to mob. I took out loan, thinking I could make it back. I work my way back to that very same table and he took me for all I had.” Dimitri said with a disgusted snort.

“And gone was all of my money. Expect my debt of course and god knows I could not tell my family so ... I negotiate. I do odd jobs for them and all went well, I keep watch, pass messages, little stuff.” The russian explain with a wave of his hand.

“It barely dented debt and they add interest, worse I kept factory work! It was killing me! So one day they offered me a bigger gig. Robbery.” Dimitri said the sigh that foreshadowed what was going to happen.

“You didn’t.” Vas winced.

“I did. I took them up on it. I was expecting something simple. Then they put a gun in my hand.” He unholstered his pistol to demonstrate.

“We were to stick up a depository, gave us clear orders; anyone tries something funny, shoot to kill. I was not expecting to have to shoot anyone, not an innocent man going for the alarm. Not expecting to choke on the trigger. I did not even expect loud noise or gunshot from others on job, killing innocent man.” Dimitri huffed, leaning back.

“Next thing I know we were booking it, getting out of there. Whole time they yell. 'Dimitri, FUCK was that!’, ‘Dimitri Where is head!?’, ‘Dimitri you know how fucked you are?!’ I was in a daze! I went off to lay low at a friend house, fellow debtor.” The Russian man nodded.

“ Next day I go up and went to work. I was expecting to be beaten or worse. I had been seen and heard. This was bad news, you know? I butterfingered a big payout for slumlord! Mistake like that …” Dimitri paused with a heavy sigh.

“ … need example made of and they did. I go to factory job, as usual, that day ... making my way slowly, not wanting to face my mama when she found out. Turns out there was no need.” Dimitri explain looking in the distance for a moment.

“There was smoke and I though nothing much off it, It was slum, people cook have good time, sometimes burn trash … it was not trash they burned out in the street … you see … “ Dimitri’s voice faltered for a moment. It was something he hadn’t spoken about in such a long time the sudden lump in his throat caught him by surprise. The event had never been far from his mind. It was always there burned behind his eyelids every time he slept.

Vas gave the man friendly, supportive shoulder bump. He couldn’t help but feel a pang of shame but didn’t let that show on his face. To often Vas had been the one to do the burning.

Dimitri cleared his throat. “Yes, well … I sat for good while. I could move or think. I blamed myself, I might as well lite fire. I killed my family. Greif … does strange things to men, they drag me in and not only blame me for heist but for killing family to! Can you believe that ... ME!” He said disgusted. “As if I ever!” He snorted.

“So to gulag I was sent. To coldest loneliest hell imaginable. I was young, scrawny thing. Scrawnier than you tarovisch!” Dimitri laughed heartily. “So got smarter, got stronger and I watch. I make friend, he understand my pain he hates mafia as I do. When proved myself, he lets me join them …” Dimitri turned and tapped a tattoo at the base of his neck, three black stripes, from gang he joined.

Vas could help but feel the hair on the back of his neck go up a little. So Dimitri might know gang tats if he saw them. Why the Jo Long Bong insisted on full back tattoos and not do something simple like that. Would sure as hell have make his life a little easier.

“I do time and try to go home but work hard to find. No one wants to hire … I have no choice I go where no one knows me, my friend he and his mafia help me. Make me man I am now! Big, Strong and Smart! No one mess with me now and I never hesitate again.” He smiled proudly stroking his gun.

“Long while later, I'm hawking 'hotcakes’ … is slang for explosives, and there is officer coming by. I follow procedure, I slowly stash goods, make it look legit. Even crumbled pastry above stand for garnish. I do good job! They haras twitchy junker for selling illegal gun components, BAH, shoddy components at that one. They notice me and starts questioning, friend goes off to cuff the junker. I see opportunity and invite him to search my stand. I slide crate was sitting on forward and unlock biometrics, he sees that it is empty. He starts asking me to open the others, but before he can, I slam him between legs, dirty shot.” Dimitri laughed slapping his leg. It was still funny to the man.

In context even Vas had to admit … it was fucking funny as hell. Sure the end result wont the man zero favors it still made for a hell of story.

“So I stuff him in crate and gag. I sit down and Riley comes. She starts asking about stand and I say ‘hotcakes too hot for you’ like the blow doors off their hinges much. She leaves and I get antsy. Guards are patrolling by, get closer to my stall. I strike deal, me and all my merch for passage off Persephone. I could never left because of either family, finances, or mafia. She says deal, I load up all of stuff, including couple passion projects now I'm here eating bread.” With that he polished off his plate.

“And that is grand tragedy, of Dimitri Yolrick” Dimitri say with a flourish of a hand as if he had told a grand tale of swashbuckling adventure.

“Well I feel downright drab compared to a story like that.” Vas complimented with a chuckled. “I’d tell you a story in return but if Riley notices we been gone this long without finishing securing the cargo bay she’ll stick US in a box next.”

“Next time then”