In Need of Assistance? (TF2)

Thirty-Six: Chaos is the Calm of a Family

        "Brother!" A brunette calls out as we stand in the main lobby of the inn we're staying at. She hugs Heavy, and he hugs her back with a smile.

"Misha! You did not tell us you were coming," a smaller woman who I assume is his mother hugs him, and he has to bend over a considerable amount to embrace her. "Imagine my surprise when Luba walks out of snowstorm and says my son is visiting."

"Is surprise, Mama," he answers.

I look over to Lubov with a heavy coat on. "Luba, you went through a snowstorm?"

"It was just light wind, it was nothing," she waves with a smile.

"Misha, who is this woman?" A taller woman with grey hair asks as she points to me. She squints at me and makes an observation from afar. "She does not look like much."

"That hurt, but you'd be correct," I tell her.

"This is Accomplice, she gives me work," Heavy says. He points to the first woman. "That is Bronislava- the oldest- that one is Yana," he points to a blonde woman, and then the brunette. "And she is Zhanna, the youngest. This is my mother, Tatiana."

"I thank you for giving my Misha work," she says as she takes my hands. She's just about my height.

"It's no problem, Ma'am. Heavy is very pleasant to work with."

"He is very gentle for his size."

"Brother, where is Soldier?" Zhanna asks, looking around for him. I remember that Soldier gave a postcard for her to Heavy. Are the two of them friends? Wait, no, they're getting married. I remember now. Heavy said that he doesn't know what Zhanna sees in Soldier, and there was the whole thing in the brig on the cruise. Heavy and Soldier being brothers-in-law is very unlikely and weird to think about.

"He is not here, only Accomplice and Sniper," he answers. All of his sisters are tall. Like really tall. I think Zhanna might be as tall as Sniper, and he's six-one. Zhanna's missing a hand. Cashew comes out of the hallway much to Yana and Bronislava's surprise, and Heavy dismisses him. "He is not teammate. Nut baby is just here."

"Hello," Cashew greets. He elbows me. "Hey, your phone was ringing."

"Ah-" I start to scurry off before turning back around for a quick moment. "It was nice to meet all of you!"

Cashew stays with Heavy, and I run down the hall to enter one of the rooms we rented. We haven't figured out who is staying with who, so all of our things are just piled into one place for the time being. My phone starts to ring again, and I dig around in my purse to pull it out, answering. "Acco-- Mmm, Fredrickson."

"Hey, it's Pauling," Scout says in a high-pitched voice. "Kidding, i-it's Scout. I've got, I've got a couple of questions about the contract you gave me."

"From fifteen minutes ago?" I gently sigh with a smile. "The one where I asked you 'do you have any questions?' and you said 'no?'"

He chuckles weakly and grows quiet. "Uh, yeah, that one. It's... It's about th-the pay."

"What about it?" I ask, straightening my back. Sniper was in here a few moments ago. I spot the light underneath the bathroom door. Confetti yawns and shifts her position on the bed behind me.

"Well, I was, I was uh--" His usual snarky and peppy attitude isn't present. "I was wonderin' if there's something else you can give me, that's a bit higher?"

Thinking for a moment, I pull my files from my purse. "Hold on, let me check... Oh! Before I forget, Cashew was asking about you."

"Oh, Cash--" He pauses as if to think. "He's alive?"