Bangkok! Oriental setting - and the city don't know what the city is getting...

[chesspolitik]

There was no better way to drift off into dreamland than in the arms of his beloved Lex after a full day of chess, cajoling Aeneas to drop the pieces he'd stolen and all of the other things that made up his daily routine, or so Anatoly thought. His life before Tabula Rasa seemed a distant memory; he truly could not remember a time he'd been happier. He was where he wanted to be at long last.

All too soon, the sun hit his eyes and he groaned in protest, muttering under his breath. He rolled over, pressing his face into his companion's shoulder and slinging an arm around his waist. It took a few moments for his sleep-addled brain to realize the body next to him was much smaller and softer than it should have been.

At first, he was inclined to pass it off as the island working its cruel trickery again, but something felt off. Lex, whether he was a man or woman, had a scent that was uniquely his. This scent... this scent was not his and yet it was haunting familiar.

He opened his eyes and gasped in horror. He'd gone to sleep on Tabula Rasa and woken up in his hotel in Bangkok. Every detail was just as he remembered, from the appallingly patterned wallpaper to the ostentatious plush carpeting. And there, by his side, was not the man he'd come to know and grown to love, but the woman he'd loved and lost and left - Florence Vassy.

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[chesspolitik]

She was an extraordinarily beautiful woman, Anatoly thought as he gazed at her, struggling for something to say. He'd been dazzled by her from the first moment he met and hadn't rested until he'd charmed her into being his wife. They had been happy for a few years, and he had tried so hard to be everything she asked of him - husband, lover, father.

But slowly, their marriage had disintegrated into arguments and tears and even now, he couldn't pinpoint where and when it'd gone so wrong. Did they marry too soon, too young? Have children too early? Should they have even married at all? So many questions and so few answers.

"It has been a very long time since I've seen you," he said awkwardly. "They are treating you well here?"

[onceihaddreams.livejournal.com]

And he was still has handsome as ever. His charm and intelligence, that had been part of what her drawn her to him, was hidden by the awkward situation. Despite everything, she knew a part of him still loved him and oh did that part ache.

"They've been treating me well, I suppose. I was waiting to wish you luck with the match." The words sounded empty, even to her ears and she smiled try and make up for it.

[chesspolitik]

"Thank you," Anatoly said quietly, knowing that she was only here because of Molokov's foul machinations. He couldn't believe that she would have come here otherwise. "And the children? They are well too?"

[onceihaddreams.livejournal.com]

She liked to think she'd had a part in being here...but no, it was all Molokov's doing. But it was up to her to make sure she benefited as well. It was the only way she'd be able to live with herself.

"They are well. They wanted to come and see their papa, Mitya especially." As much as she missed them and wish they could see their father, she was glad they weren't here, to see what she was being made to do.

[chesspolitik]

Anatoly nodded once and looked away, not wanting Svetlana to see the pain in his eyes. "I miss them very much," he said after a few moments, when he was sure he could keep his voice steady and unaffected. "I'm glad to hear they are well."

He turned back to her again, offering her a faint smile. "I must go, I am sorry. They are waiting for me."

[onceihaddreams.livejournal.com]

Anatoly may have tried to hide it, but Svetlana still caught the look. It was...slightly comforting to know that Anatoly at least felt guilt for what he'd put his family through. But only slightly.

At his faint smile, she couldn't help herself and she stood on her toes to kiss his cheek. "It is good to see you." Then she stepped back, preparing herself to watch him walk away. Again.