As Aleksandr had expected, the Raina contact did come in handy. Not exactly in the way he had thought it would. She had contacted him to help her once again, in feeding fish. Boring. But he quite liked her company, and more importantly, he was getting paid. She was incredibly intelligent, and her insights were appreciated. He would probably emerge out of this encounter a wiser man. And it wasn't like he was doing any actual work. He would only have to sit there and talk with her while she feeds fish. The only thing he actually would have to do is get the fish food from the warehouse, to which he was en route.

As part of his 'blend in with the crowd' strategy, he had his beloved white shirt and black joggers on, with running shoes. So unique and exciting. 'I might just get picked up for a fashion show at this rate, with my riveting wardrobe choices.' he muttered to himself, sarcastically. The Lord knew he loved to wear unique and expensive clothes. Forcing himself to wear plain clothes was boring him to an extent which he didn't even know was possible. So much for appearing normal. He'd probably have to switch this out for more suitable clothes at some point. He was almost at the warehouse, and he was on schedule. Raina had told him that she would be there, and then they will travel to the shore into a 'No-Fishing' zone canal. Interesting. Well, not really. But anything for the bag, right? He should probably progress to harder jobs now, he was beginning to feel this was beneath him.

He soon reached the warehouse, and as he had expected, Raina was there. She didn't seem like the type who put unneeded delays in her schedule. Good for her, but Aleksandr definitely wasn't like her. The past two years were a testament to that. Old habits die hard, but he would try his best. He had grown weary of his hibernation periods. It was time for a change, maybe? He never knew what he wanted and was impulsive with these decisions to a degree. Soon, they picked up the food and made their way to the canal. He'd obviously have to row the boat, but who cares? Rowing a boat wasn't very tedious for him. He already had some experience with it in the past, and as it was pretty much the only thing he'd have to do, he didn't care.

They took their places on the boat, sitting across from each other, and Aleksandr started rowing. After they had crossed some distance, Raina started dropping some food into the water. As if on command, the fishes came streaming in, devouring the food. Thankfully, the influx of fishes didn't rock the boat. "How often do you come here?" Aleksandr asked her. "A couple of times a day. Helps me clear my head, and it's nice feeding them." came back the answer.

"You really love your work, don't you? Not many people can say that." not many people being him. "Yes, why else would I do it?" the answer was instantaneous, and it struck a chord.  Aleksandr hadn't really found anything he loved so much that he'd consider doing as a job. All his previous work had been out of duty and for fulfilling his responsibilities. But he had failed that task, hadn't he? Maybe he was just an empty person with no ambitions. That would be a very depressing realization, and not one Aleksandr was ready to confront just yet. "True." he nodded back at her. He admired her and was even envious of her in how she was able to pursue what she loved. Aleksandr wasn't tied by his circumstances, but he still couldn't do what he loved because he didn't know what to do. Pity. Soon, they rowed the boat back to the shore, and Raina thanked him for his service with a reward. But her words stuck with him, and he would remember them while going to sleep that night.

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Word Count: 677/500