Valek And Yelena Quotes

Our souls bonded. His pleasure was my ecstasy. My blood pumped in his heart. ~ Maria V. Snyder

It's your fault. I was defending you!" I blurted.
He paused. "In protecting my honor, you exposed months of work. I should be flattered? ~ Maria V. Snyder

Before Kiki and I headed toward the Keep, I thanked my friends.
"For what? We didn't do anything," Janco grumbled.
"For caring enough to follow my guards. And the next time, I might need the help."
"There better not be a next time," Ari said, giving me a stern look.
"How touching," Janco said, pretending to wipe his eyes.
"Get going, Yelena. I don't want you to see me cry." He faked a sniffle.
"I'm sure your ego can handle it," I said. "Or will you need to beat up some trainees to feel like a man again?"
"Very funny," he said. ~ Maria V. Snyder

Don't feel ashamed for having those feelings and those memories. What happened in the past can't be changed, but they can be a guide for what happens in the future. ~ Maria V. Snyder

...the personal and the political are often hard to disentangle. ~ Yelena Baraz

Design can successfully bind the ancient nomadic cultures with today's global marketplace, ensuring the preservation of traditions and knowledge for further generations. This aspect of research is obviously rich in its business potential as well. ~ Yelena Baturina

I left Kiki in the yard, and fetched my pick and brushes.
She lifted her leg and I dislodged the stone then pulled the shedding blade through her copper hair. After a while, I removed my cloak. When I finished, clumps of horse hair clung to my sweaty clothes.
You're beautiful and I need a bath, I said to her. Pasture or stall?
Stall. Nap time.
And what about your snooze before I groomed you?
Pre nap. ~ Maria V. Snyder

No." She gawked. Her arms seized me and turned me to face her. "You didn't!" She screeched, her jaw dropped. I pulled myself from her hold.

"Nothing happened." I muttered.

"Liar! I can see it all over your face!"

I groaned.

"Tell me everything!" Her eyes had lit up like this was the most exciting news she had ever heard. ~ Yelena Lugin

I think Yelena Akhtiorskaya is a genius. What she manages to do, linguistically and emotionally, in the span of a single sentence, is astonishing. ~ Keith Gessen

I demand a lot from myself and reflect this attitude upon others: I consider it to be an important quality for a leader. I also think it is impossible to achieve success without persistence. ~ Yelena Baturina

With time and the proper training. She's deadly with her bow; it's just her tactics that need work."
"Then what do we do with her?"
"Promote her to General and retire some of those old wind-bags. We could use some fresh blood in the upper ranks."
"Valek, you never had a good grasp of military structure."
"Then promote her to First Lieutenant today, Captain tomorrow, Major the next day, Colonel the day after, and General the day after that. ~ Maria V. Snyder

Another relative?" Valek asked.
A broad smile stretched Moon Man's lips. "Yes. I am her mother's uncle's wife's
third cousin."
Valek and Moon Man ~ Maria V. Snyder

I was among one of the first entrepreneurs to start building their own private enterprise when Perestroika began in Russia and the state initiated its first market-oriented reforms. ~ Yelena Baturina

But you've slipped under my skin, invaded my blood and seized my heart. ~ Maria V. Snyder

... Yelena? Hello?" Leif poked my arm.
"I'm here."
"What are we going to do?" Leif asked me.
"It's too late to go anywhere else. Kiki and the horses will watch the outside of the building and alert me if anyone approaches."
"Ooh, guard horses. How quaint. ~ Maria V. Snyder

Why is she convinced Ambrose is out to get her" Leif asked
"Ambrose?" Yelena raised a slender eyebrow. She carried a tray of tea and fruit. "You're on a first name basis with the Commander now?"
"I usually call him Amby, but not in mixed company. ~ Maria V. Snyder

I never laugh at a beautiful woman. I'd much rather laugh and dance with her. ~ Maria V. Snyder

Well, Valek, any new promotions?" the Commander asked
"No. But Maren shows promise. Unfortunately she doesn't want to be in my corps or even be my second.She just wants to beat me." Valek grinned, delighted by the challenge.
"And can she?" the Commander inquired. His eyebrows rose.
"With time and the proper training. She's deadly with her bow; it's just her tactics that need work."
"Then what do we do with her?"
"Promote her to General and retire some of those old wind-bags. We could use some fresh blood in the upper ranks."
"Valek, you never had a good grasp of military structure."
"Then promote her to First Lieutenant today, Captain tomorrow, Major the next day, Colonel the day after, and General the day after that."
"I'll take it under advisement. ~ Maria V. Snyder

Janco stepped between us. "Let's see if I have this right," he said to Cahil. "Yelena beats you, so you want a rematch, but you think she'll use her magic instead of her fighting skills to win. That's quite the quandary." Janco pulled at his goatee. "Since I taught her everything she knows, and I don't have any magic, thank fate, how about you fight me? Your long sword against my bow."
" You taught her everything?" Ari asked.
Janco waved away his comment. "Details, details. I'm thinking big picture here, Ari. ~ Maria V. Snyder

If you don't come back to the Keep, then I'll be right. And every time you see me, I'll be insufferably smug."
"And how's that different from now?" He laughed and I could see the young carefree boy he had been in his eyes. "You've only had a small glimpse of how insufferable and annoying I can be. As the older brother, it's my birthright. ~ Maria V. Snyder

Anyway, the odds were against you. Most lost big, while only a few - " Rand paused dramatically " - won big."

"Since you're here, I suppose you won big."

He smiled. "Yelena, I'm always going to bet on you. You're like one of the Commander's terriers. A tiny, yappy dog you wouldn't look at twice, but once it grabs your pant leg, it won't let go."

"Poison the dog's meat and it won't bother you anymore. ~ Maria V. Snyder

He was the sun and I was just a speck of dust, existing on his horizon. Eventually I would burn up and the sun would continue to shine. ~ Yelena Lugin

Yelena?"
"Hmm?"
"I'd like you to stay with me while we figure out how to unblock your magic. We're stronger together."
"All right."
He laughed. "I thought I'd have more of a fight."
"I'm too tired to argue."
"Then I should take advantage of the situation."
I cracked one eye open. "And?"
"I'd like you to stay with me forever. ~ Maria V. Snyder

When you are in an unpleasant environment that makes you feel uncomfortable, one of the key ways to improve that situation is through design. That's why I think it is so important to help develop and showcase young designers, as they are our future. ~ Yelena Baturina

On 20 November, front-line troops got 500 grams of bread per day, factory workers received 250, and everyone else 125 (that is, two slices). 'Twigs were collected and stewed,' records an historian of the siege. 'Peat shavings, cottonseed cake, bonemeal was pressed into use. Pine sawdust was processed and added to the bread. Mouldy grain was dredged from sunken barges and scraped out of the holds of ships. Soon Leningrad bread was containing 10% cottonseed cake that had been processed to remove poisons. Household pets, shoe leather, fir bark and insects were consumed, as was wallpaper paste which was reputed to be made with potato flour. Guinea pigs, white mice and rabbits were saved from vivisection in the city's laboratories for a more immediately practical fate. 'Today it is so simple to die,' wrote one resident, Yelena Skryabina, in her diary. 'You just begin to lose interest, then you lie on your bed and you never get up again. Yet some people were willing to go to any lengths in order to survive: 226 people were arrested for cannibalism during the siege. 'Human meat is being sold in the markets,' concluded one secret NKVD report, 'while in the cemeteries bodies pile up like carcasses, without coffins. ~ Andrew Roberts

Sneaks, spies, defenders, heroes, masterminds, tenacious bastards - it doesn't matter what you call us. We're the ones who will do whatever it takes to stop those who believe they're entitled to wealth and power at the expense of others."
"The family business," Yelena said, smiling. ~ Maria V. Snyder

I am interested in classic building development, such as hotels and residential homes, rather than commercial properties. ~ Yelena Baturina

On hearing the jingle of harness behind them, they turned. Melletin and Yelena were fast catching up, both grinning broadly.

"How did it go?" Ramil called.

"Would you believe it: he threatened to lock me up in his mother's house if I didn't behave!" exclaimed Yelena, sticking her tongue out at Melletin. "I threw a roll at him and he clipped me around the ear. The soldiers were all about to beat him up when I burst into tears and begged his forgiveness. We had a passionate reconciliation and went on our way with their good wishes for our marital harmony."

Melletin rubbed his lips. "Where's the next checkpoint, Yelena? I can't wait to do that again."

"Watch it, sir: I'll report you," Yelena threatened, but she looked very pleased all the same. ~ Julia Golding

Leif: Getting killed would have been easier. No guilt. No worries. No fear. Caring for someone is terrible and wonderful. I don't know if I have the strength to do it for another. How do you deal with it?
Yelena: I focus on the wonderful parts and suffer through the terrible parts, knowing it will end eventually. ~ Maria V. Snyder

A little present from my run-in with a sword. Or should I say from when the sword had a run-in with me?" His eyes lit up.
"Want to see the scar? It's cool." He started pulling his shirt out of his pants.
"Janco," Ari warned. "We're not supposed to be fraternizing with the Sitians."
"But she's not Sitian. Right, Yelena? You haven't gone south on us, have you?" Janco's voice held mock horror.
"Because if you have I can't give you your present."
I took my switchblade out, showing the inscription to Janco. "What about 'Sieges weathered, fight together, friends forever'? Does that change if I become an official southerner?"
Janco rubbed the hair on his chin, considering.
"No," Ari said. "You could change into a goat and it would still apply. ~ Maria V. Snyder

The Garden of Wonders project encompasses the knowledge that Be Open has accumulated over the years of work on different continents and different spheres. ~ Yelena Baturina

One snake wasn't enough. Time for Perl's suggestion. I handed everyone two capsules and a pin. "Get as close to the guards as you can. Poke a small hole in the capsule and squirt the liquid near them. Don't get it on you," I instructed.
"Why not?" Leif asked.
"You'll have a necklace snake trying to mate with you."
"Gee, Yelena. I'm so glad you're home," Leif grumbled. "It's good to know Mother is doing something useful with her time."
"I thought your mother madeperfumes," Moon Man said.
"It all depends on how you look at it ~ Maria V. Snyder

We'll stick close together, but make no sign we are acquainted. The girls should go ahead so that they get through first. We'll follow close behind to be there for any trouble."

"Don't worry, my dears," said the professor gallantly, "I'll rescue you from any difficulties."

Yelena laughed and kissed the old man on the cheek. "Of course you will. I don't know why we bother with these other men, do you, Tashi?"

"But they are decorative, aren't they?" the Princess replied archly. It was fun to have a girl with whom she could gang up against the boys--she'd never had a friend like that before. "They give us something to look at on the boring stretches of the road." She let her eyes linger on Ramil, who appeared very warm all of a sudden.

Yelena swung herself into the saddle. "My, my, Princess, I didn't know you could flirt."

"I'm learning from a master--or should I say mistress--of that art," Tashi said with a bow. ~ Julia Golding

I gave him a bored look. I had been threatened many times before and had learned that the men who didn't make verbal threats were the most dangerous. ~ Maria V. Snyder

I wanted to dissolve into the floor, mixing myself with the hard stone. A stone had a single purpose: to be. No complicated promises, no worries and no feelings. ~ Maria V. Snyder

There's an arrest warrant out for her. Did you even consider taking her to the Commander?"
"No."
"Why not?" Valek didn't try to hide his disbelief. "Killing isn't the only solution to a problem. Or has that been yourformula?"
" My formula! Excuse me, Mr. Assassin, while I laugh as I remember my history lessons on how to deal with a tyrannical monarch by killing him and his family."
Valek flashed me a dangerous look. ~ Maria V. Snyder

On the one hand, I am a businesswoman - on the other, a wife and a mother. Like many women, I have had to distribute time and attention between business and family. It is not at all easy to find that balance. ~ Yelena Baturina

As an entrepreneur and mother, I support the need to put women at the center, recognizing their crucial impact on social development and their important role of balancing family and professional responsibilities. ~ Yelena Baturina

Your path is clear," said Moon Man. "You need to find it."
And the best way to find something you had lost was to return to the last place you remembered having it. In my case, I needed to start at the very beginning. ~ Maria V. Snyder

Good food, fresh water, and an occasional sweet and someone to care for. That's what everyone should have. A simplistic and unrealistic view I knew, but it soothed me. ~ Maria V. Snyder