No Tears | NR

Chapter 17

Outskirts of St. Peterburg, Russia

"Honey, we're home", Alexei broke the silence that was becoming increasingly uncomfortable.

Nobody said anything for a moment. Then, the woman wordlessly left the property and walked past them. All four of them watched her, as she walked towards a house.

Alexei was the first to follow her. The three women were right behind him. Yara started to fall back a little. She felt like she was intruding on some sort of weird family reunion, although the four Russians really didn't look or seem like much of a family.

Natasha noticed and slowed down a little to let Yara catch up to her.

"Something wrong?", she wanted to know from the brunette.

"No. I just wanted to give you four some space", she explained while turning her head to look at Natasha.

The redhead was watching the brunette carefully. "Don't worry about that. We don't need any space. We are only here to find out where the Red Room is, nothing else."

Yara nodded but didn't quite believe the Avenger. She was sure that Natasha wasn't meaning to lie, but she also didn't think that this would go the way Natasha thought it would go and how she wanted it to go. These things never did.

"Come on", the redhead encouraged Yara to speed up a little and catch up to the others.

"Welcome to my humble abode. Make yourself at home", the woman, Melina, invited them into the house. Yara remembered Alexei mentioning her name earlier.

They slowly followed the woman into the small house curiously looking around with a sense of caution, not completely dropping their guards yet. Yara's first impression of the place was that it was surprisingly - homey. She couldn't find a better word to describe it. It wasn't as clean and polished as she would have expected. Most walls were covered by rather old-fashioned wallpapers. There were plants everywhere on the window sills. A few pictures, mostly drawings, were up on the walls, and books, figures, and magazines stood or laid on top of sills, shelves, and tables. Several couches and sofas were placed all around the living room with a dinner table amongst them. The lights weren't very strong and glowed warmly, barely illuminating the rooms.

Yara had followed Yelena into the living room. Natasha and Melina had split off the group and gone somewhere else and Alexei had disappeared into another room which Yara guessed to be the bathroom.

Yelena sat down on a chair. Yara followed her example and sat down opposite her. Natasha and Yelena joined them there soon. The redhead sat down on the chair next to Yara while Melina chose the place next to Yelena and opposite Natasha.

They sat in silence, listening to the frequent grunts coming out of the room Alexei had disappeared in. Yara didn't even want to know what he was doing in there.

"Let's drink", Melina suggested, trying to break the awkward, tense silence that was looming around them. She grabbed a bottle of vodka and poured herself and the other three women a drink.

But nobody drank anything. Yara just stared at her glass, watching the crystal-clear liquid in it that looked like water. Was that where the name for the alcoholic beverage came from? Vodka meant something in the lines of 'little water' in Russian. But why not just call it 'voda' then? Why minimize it and call it little?

Her train of thought was interrupted by the sound of a door being opened and a throat being cleared. All four women at the table had looked up and stared at him. "It still fits", Alexei declared happily.

Melina whistled flirtatiously which resulted in disgusted looks on the other three women's faces.

"Oh, my God", Yelena groaned and turned back around in her chair.