Gloves. It's something that he often wore in winter like normal Russian would, or worn by mothers to pick up the hot pans from stove.
But this night... the gloves become something that covers his action.
Vasily stared on the corpse of a middle-aged man. The outside world also supports Vasily through noisy music, passerby laughter, fireworks... and the darkness enveloping this alley full of rats. The condition was very perfect to begin with.
The memory emerged once again; he already prepared his gloves before Alexandrov Ensemble departed from Leningrad's port. Just in case he met that wretched man, thought Vasily. The same man who knock the small stone house at slum area, offering the better future for the eldest sister. And by her better future, it's enough as exchanging for freeing the eternal family debt. With full of hope, the family including Vasily let her to depart to France as future model.
Little did he know, it was the last trick before that loan shark escaped from the Revolution. Vasily learned from snippets to snippets, hearing about trafficking crime. He didn't have heart to tell the family about the truth. His mother already spent the energy to work hard at factory. One truth slips out without resolution, and it could kill the mother and everyone's last spark.
Vasily closed his eyes after reliving that memories, and quickly opened again. He saw pathetic eyes and opened mouth of that middle aged man again in satisfaction again. The rats has slowly approaching and sniffing over the fresh dead body.
With fast move, Vasily bend down toward the corpse and snatch the necklace on its neck. The necklace was not made from gold or silver, but its red flower shape on the necklace... it's definitely belong to Nadezhda. Something that little Vasily ever made from carving the red wood, turning it into a necklace. And the eldest sister happily wears it as talisman. The second sister has it too, shaped as red ribbon.
The memory one hour ago emerged once again...
"Where is Nadya? The girl you promised to be model?" interrogated Vasily as he successfully caught that middle aged man at back of hotel, dragging him to an abandoned alley with full of rats. He immediately know that noblemen now works as one of investors, funding the festival. Even the one who helps accomodating the hotel for Soviet Union representatives...
"Nad-Nadya? What are you... I'm not associated with anyone in Russian Empire!" panicked that middle-aged man. Vasily pulled that red flower pendulum from that man's neck with hatred.
"Then how come you possess this, bastard?"
"Who are you to ask such question?!" retorted the man who tried to ran away, but Vasily quickly pull his wrist and slammed him down. Vasily takes out his necklace... which has same red wood, but different shape of triangle.
The middle-aged man looked at Vasily in horror, as if he finally remembered, "Ah... that girl... she is already dead when brought here. I just use it as it looks good. And... and..."
Without waiting for more explanation, Vasily's hands tightened that man's neck without hesitation. The middle aged man tried to reasoned once again... but no more voices coming out from his throat. All shut off from this vengeful short man's covered hands.
Then as he entered the hotel lobby. Dmitry, Vadim and Alexei searching for his whereabouts after missing for an hour. Those three men looked relieved when finding Vasily approaching them.
"Heya, guys! Sorry, I was just take a big dump at toilet!" greeted Vasily with his usual grin.