Realistic or Modern Of Ivanov Blood // Full RP (All spots filled!)

[ZombieBaee]

Yaroslavl, Russia was one of the ancient towns in Russia and due to its rich history it held onto a lot of its old habits. Including a working relationship with the Ivanov family, the king pin mafia family in Russia. The Ivanov family had lived in Yaroslavl since the beginning of time it seemed as as modern times came and police and governments began to take control a lot of other families and groups were overpowered by the law. Not Ivanov. They kept their city safe provided their crimes were allowed, all in all it was a decent relationship. The only real issue were cops who got too self righteous... and the Angleoff family. The Angleoff family was a newer family who did their business in nearby Moscow, a more modern city than Yaroslavl. The two families had differing ideas of how to handle their business and it caused quite a bit of ... issues.

Our story revolves around the Ivanov family and the tragic event that started all of the events to come. The leader of the family, Vladamir Ivanov, has passed away unexpectedly and had to leave his young daughter in charge of everything. However she will soon realize she may not be as alone as she thinks...​

 

[Pax Pardus Hale]

Katya Ivanov

Thank you for coming. Yes, it was quite unexpected. If Katya had to repeat those words one more time she was going to scream. It had only been a few days since the sudden death of her father Vladamir, they had buried him the day prior and now they were at a local church her father had requested in his will to have his memorial at. Something about this being the church her father and mother got married at, she didn't quite have the energy to question anything at this point. To be frank, Katya was over it. Over the fact that her father had just LEFT her to take care of such a large mafia family! He had shown no signs of illness, no little inkling that something terrible like this would happen. It wasn't that she wasn't ready for leadership, this was always what her life was leading up to. She just didn't want to do it by herself. Thankfully Mikhail was still by her side.

Quickly the five foot five female with waist length wavy hair threw back a pill to settle her anxiously beating heart, taking a quick swig of wine to swallow down the circular pill. Today a black mid thigh long sleeved dress adorned her slim figure, black Louis Vuitton heels holding her a few inches higher, and a pistol securely strapped to her thigh underneath her dress. The speeches were done and the crowd in the church was finally dispersing, and Katya finally felt like she could wind down. She wanted to go clubbing tonight or something to try and forget the day they just had, unfortunately she couldn't leave the church until all of her guests had left. With a long sigh she finished off the glass of wine before putting it on a tray with other empty glasses, her black sparkly manicured nails pushing her long hair out of her face. "I'm one hundred percent over this." Katya grumbled quietly as she crossed her arms and leaned against the table.

With an impatient huff she picked up the tray filled with glasses and turned on her heels to walk to the kitchen. "The guests are almost gone, thought I'd pick up some." Katya sat the tray on the counter in the kitchen with a small smile. "Thank you guys again for hosting this on such short notice, I am in your debt."

 

[Pax Pardus Hale]

Annabella Valentina

It had taken months to infiltrate the Ivanov family mafia, and not even a week into training the leader suddenly passed away. Of course that was her luck! In addition to the chaos going on within the family she also found herself training with the guard of Katya, the new leader. She was thankful that she had nailed her interview with the now deceased Don. Annabella, now known as Anna, had a skill for marksmanship. Normally it was impossible to get into the family unless you knew someone, and it was unheard of to rise through the ranks unless you were an Ivanov, but the skills she had obtained from her service and years serving the police proved her useful as a guard. Her physique wasn't anything intimidating and proving herself to the other guards wouldn't be easy, so it was Don Vladamir's idea to put Anna with Mikhail, one of the best guards they had in the family. If she trained with him she'd learn the ropes, and if she survived training with him she'd earn everyone's respect.

Only, it wasn't the respect she was after. Actually Anna hoped to someday guard for the big guy himself, Vladamir, so that she could find out more about her fathers killers. It wasn't the Ivanov family that had their grimy finger prints on the gun, in fact it was a small gang that seemed to travel throughout Europe. Ivanov was just one of the biggest names throughout Europe, she was sure they had some information on them. Unfortunately, Annabella had no clue if Katya knew about the small mob or not and it would ruin any chances of finding out if she left. And now certainly wasn't the time to pry, not that she could even get close enough to her to question her. Mikhail was literally a too efficient guard if there was ever such a thing.

Annabella stood by the doorway of the church with a sad smile on her face. "Thank you for coming, safe travels." There went five more people, only a handful of people remained in the church mingling and snacking among the pews. The church was beautiful, it was far different from the ones she attended growing up in Italy. Stained glass, pristine walls, candles, and beautiful crosses brought the church to life. She was pretty sure the place even ran an orphanage. Her straightened red hair fell below her shoulders, her bangs pinned out of her face to look professional. Her outfit consisted of a black undershirt, a black jacket to conceal her gun attached to her hip, black slacks, and a red tie. It almost felt like her old police uniform.

Just when things should have been winding down she noticed out of the corner of her eye Katya downing a glass of wine. It all had to be hard to handle on her own, Annabella remembered both deaths of her parents and how hard it was. What shocked her more than how fast she drank the wine was the fact that she started to clean. From the week she had been training with Mikhail she could tell that this was out of the norm, she knew Katya had service workers like maids and gardeners at her home. "The service seemed to go well, but she still seems so anxious. Should I see if she's okay or should I keep an eye on everyone out here still?" Annabella's bright green eyes glanced up at Mikhail as she approached him.

 

[KAYDEN]

Aleksi Petrov

"Listen, listen, listen. I know that this isn't the best idea but don't you think we should pay our respects to the old man? I mean I know we have some differing opinions but it's not as if I wished him dead." Aleksi sighed in the back seat of the large SUV they were currently traveling in before tilting down his sunglasses and winking at his friend and guard Nicholai. "Plus I have to admit I am intrigued about Katya, I haven't seen the Ivanov daughter in a very long time, not since we were kids, I've always thought she was a decent kid, although annoying and far too serious. What a golden opportunity to kill two birds with one stone." The large vehicle came to a slow stop outside of the large church, it appeared as if things were dying down and coming to a close which only meant it was the perfect timing for them to make their appearance.

"Now come on Nicholai, let's play nice." The car door was opened by the driver and Aleksi stretched his long legs out of the car and stood to his full height on the sidewalk before slowly making his way up the ornate staircase and into the church. It was clear that a few people instantly recognized him judging by their change in demeanor.

"Oh please boys, I am not so petty as to start anything with you all hear, please realize I do have SOME class. I am simply here to offer your young boss my words of sorrow. Today I am here as an old childhood friend, not your enemy." A few of the Ivanov men scoffed but one finally spoke up and pointed out where Kat had gone and told him to hurry up and get out when he was done. "I suppose that would be the warmest words I could expect. Come Nicholai."

Aleksi headed off in the direction of the kitchen where he had been pointed and came into a room with three women, one who he could only assume was Kat had her back towards him at the counter as she was speaking to another woman that he unfortunately knew all too well as well. The third woman was at the corner busying herself with cleaning dishes and he couldn't quite make out her face but he had to assume it was Zofia's right hand man Masha. "W-Well well. Isn't this an interesting crew. Uhm." Aleksi was rarely lost for words but for once he found himself unsure of what to say. He supposed he should start with the reason he was here. "K-Katya? I know I haven't seen you in some time, but when I heard about what happened to Vlad, I felt I needed to some and offer my condolences. I also made arrangements to send flowers to your home, I hope your men don't think they're some trojan horse... they're simply lilies." Aleksi rubbed the back of his neck and made his way over to the counter and leaned against it, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. For now he chose to ignore the fact that the current object of his flighty affection was also standing in the kitchen and instead looked down to say more to his old friend. Only when he looked down at her face he was stunned once again.

"Wait, Masha? I'm so sorry, I really thought you were my friend. You probably think I'm insane." Aleksi was now sure he was having a stroke because the more he analyzed the situation, this woman had to be Katya... but she looked just like the mousy woman he had met at the bar a handful of times now.

 

[Sir Damien]

Stefan

It wasn't often that a death rattled people to this magnitude. Vladamir was the Don, the Don of Ivanov. He was one of the most favored of all of the Don's in history; profits were up, losses were down, and the inner crime of Ivanov had been at the lowest rates in history. Everyone respected the man, and with his death there were so many mixed emotions. Sadness for the loss, greed for his money and position. Vladamir anticipated this happening in his death, and many years prior to his actual death he made his will. Katya got everything, she would run his empire should anything happen to him. His only request was his burial and the church his services went through. Stefan remember signing the documents and hoping that they wouldn't need to pull out the paperwork for years to come.

The speech Katya had given for her father was beautiful. She was a dedicated daughter to both her father and the family and was eager to live up to the expectations Vladamir had set. With Stefan the cold prodigal lawyer at her side he was sure that she would be successful. "She'll be fine. It's something she'll have to work through." The six foot two, 220 pound muscular man looked up from his whiskey to see Katya's two guards. He had shoulder length blonde hair pulled back into a manbun, his beard was freshly trimmed, and he wore an expensive black and silk suit he bought specifically for the service. Stefan was known to be on the cold and cruel side, and his piercing blue eyes didn't help much with how intimidating he looked.

"What in the..." It took a second for Stefan's eyes to adjust to the newcomers of the memorial. He would remember that face from anywhere, he found it just as annoying as his voice. "What an interesting visitor." Aleksi was the Petrov's bosses son, and boy he was a handful. His guard was more or less a handler than he was a guard. The last place he expected to find him was an Ivonov memorial. Quickly Stefan made his way after him and into the kitchen only to find the man look genuinely confused. "Masha?" His dark brows furrowed and he shook his head. "Aleksi are you on drugs or something? You've met Katya before. Who is this Masha?" Though out of the corner of his eye he noticed someone in the corner. Someone with long hair with a familiar build. "Your condolences are appreciated in these dark times. And, excuse me miss. Do you mind me asking your name?" Stefan spoke a little louder so the woman doing dishes could hear him. It was just a similarity, right? Vladamir requested this church because it was where he married his wife, right? Did he know something that he didn't let Stefan know about? Fuck, he hated being blindsided.

 

[Colt Voltage]

Nicholai Petrov

"Not that you ever listen sir, but you know this is not a good idea. I mean, you've already sent flowers." And appearing late to the memorial service of the rival Don just felt wrong. Somehow Aleksi found his plan to be foolproof, and whatever Aleksi decided Nicholai always seemed to get dragged into. It was better than letting him go at it alone and getting hurt, Nicholai would never live it down and certainly wouldn't have a job. "And Katya has always taken her role very seriously like her father from what I hear. Maybe she could help you learn a thing or two about running a family." It'll be you someday, his thoughts echoed through his head but he bit his tongue from speaking further. Aleksi was different, and Nicholai didn't want to shame him for enjoying his life. But Nicholai did pray for him to want to learn to take over the family. After all, that's what his father wanted for him. Nicholai only wanted the best for his friend.

"Right, after you." With a small sigh Nicholai quickly jumped out of the vehicle to his full height of six foot four, stretching out his long muscular arms that were conealed by the black button up shirt and the black jacket he wore. They were going to a memorial, he wanted to dress properly so he also wore some black slacks and a yellow tie, his gun holstered around his waist underneath the jacket. Their line of work was dangerous and he never knew when he'd have to protect Aleksi, it was best to always be prepared even when coming in peace. "Excuse us gentleman." Nicholai gave a nervous smile as he walked past the few Ivanov members outside the church.

"Aleksi? Jesus." The man was already darting to wherever Katya was! With a small sprint he quickly made his way across the church and into the back kitchen to see everyone standing there. He was talking about someone other than Katya though. Masha? Wasn't that the friend of the girl he was seeing? Nicholai's bright blue eyes scanned the room and seen the two familiar women. "Masha is actually an acquaintance of master Aleksi. She's right over there." As Nicholai approached Katyya he instantly could see the similarities as well. "You guys do look an awful lot alike." Weren't the girls orphans though? Katya clearly wasn't an orphan, but the girls were nearly identical.

 

[ZombieBaee]

Masha

Masha hated funeral days at the church, she hated death in general, it was one of the things that scared her the most since it was so unpredictable but it was also just so sad. Then, on top of all that, it was so stressful! She always wanted to help out however she could but she was also quite the perfectionist when it came to baking and it was important that people were comforted on days like today! AND THEN to make things worse, this was the IVANOV BOSS' FUNERAL. Everyone around the city knew the Ivanov family and for the most part respected and feared them, Masha herself wanted nothing to do with the mafia family that ruled their city. Some people thought it was all romantic and dreamy and made them seem like a fairytale but Masha couldn't help but think differently about a family who lived on crime and other peoples misfortune.

Today Masha did what she normally would during memorial services and busied herself in the kitchen making sure platters were full of yummy baked goods and pitchers were full of tea and water. Zofia handled the social part of the morning, running between the kitchen and the show room while complaining the entire time. Honestly Masha was thankful for her best friends harsh complaints and humor, it helped calm down her nerves.

Now thankfully it seemed everything had come to an end, the Sister's were busy thanking people and wishing them well while Zofia was bringing Masha dishes to wash so she could avoid most of the people for now. However that plan seemed to quickly change when people slowly began to leak into the kitchen, she decided to let Zofia talk and hid herself in the corner, scrubbing away at the dishes in the sink as more and more people congregated and spoke. The first had been the daughter of the deceased and Masha felt her heart squeeze for the poor girl... but then a familiar voice caused her to look out the corner of her eye and spot Aleksi. Why was he here? Her name was brought up and Masha felt herself stiffen before letting the platter she was cleaning fall gently back into the sink as she turned to the small group and wiped her soapy hands off on the white apron tied around her waist.

"I'm Masha, why?" Masha spoke and finally looked up her eyes instantly falling on what she assumed must have been a mirror... a magic trick.... something. She was suddenly thankful that she was no longer holding the ceramic platter because she was fairly sure she would have shattered the thing out of shock. This woman looked exactly like her, well for the most part. Her hair was nicer... as was her makeup and clothes. Masha was quite plain compared to this other version of her. Her hair was in a messy half up half down style and her face was bare of makeup except for some mascara and a bit of chapstick, a light blue and white sundress was on under her apron with a cream colored sweater on top. Her eyes drifted from the doppelganger to the man who had asked her name and she gave a nervous smile, "I-I'm sorry, that came off as rude. My name is Masha Smith, at least that's the name the Church has given me. Uh-Nicholai is right, I'm simply a casual acquaintance of Alek." Her eyes couldn't help but drift to the woman she assumed was named Katya. "I'm sorry about your father... please let us know if you need anything further before you leave today. But uhm-I s-should really get back to work."

 

[ZombieBaee]

Zofia Smith
​

"Do you think that mafia family like gives us a fuck ton of money or something because like... I cannot figure out why the sisters are cool with holding this funeral here." Zofia scoffed as she brought another few platters back into the kitchen, giving the empty ones to Masha to clean and taking ones with leftovers over to the counter to box up for the kids for once everyone left. "I mean like it's been more fun than a NORMAL memorial but still." She worked on busying herself with packing leftovers after tying the white apron around her waist. Zofia didn't really look like someone who lived or helped out at a church, today was at least a day that was normal for her to wear as much black as she did. Her hair was in space buns on the top of her head and her makeup was dark and dramatic as usual. As far as her clothes she stayed understated for the sister's sake and simply wore a tight black turtleneck and some grey plaid pants. Now she was fully into her task with leftovers as someone joined them in the kitchen and began speaking.

"Ah don't worry about it, this is what we're good at here is handling the chaos." Zofia spoke without looking up at first but when she heard the tone in the woman's voice she felt she should at least try and not be a dick. "Of course, we're sorry for your loss, I obviously don't know much but we were told it was unexpected, that can't be fun. I'm impressed that anyone can hold it together after this sort of thing." As her brown eyes landed on the woman across the counter from her Zofia's mouth fell open as if she was ready to catch flies. Before she could even form a thought more people were joining them, one of which caused her jaw to nearly unhinge and fall on the floor.

Quickly things got weirder and weirder, some mafia guy was asking who Mash was and Nicholai and Aleksi were here? And Nicholai was calling Aleksi MASTER? Zofia turned to Masha with wide eyes as her soft spoken friend spoke. "Okay okay. Hold on because while Mash might be playing dumb, I have like six thousand questions. But first, MASTER?" Zofia barked out a laugh as she spun around to look between Alek and Nicholai. Sure, over the past few months she had noticed that Nicholai was pretty serious around Alek and in general but MASTER. "Also like why are you guys here? This church is like an hour away from your usual stomping grounds... But more important MASHA. This girl looks JUST like you, how can you give a singular shit about cleaning ceramic right now? What if she is like your long lost sister or something cool? How are you always so CALM. I am FREAKING out."

 

[EclipseRosee]

MIKHAIL SUMMERS

Mikhail had always had a good head on his shoulders, that was why he was able to be where he was today. Sure his father's influence and time in the mafia helped but it was Mikhail's talent and cool headed nature that brought him to his current job as Katya's guard. Though even he had to admit that she likely didn't need one. But this... the boss' death... it was something that actually had Mikhail quite shaken but he was holding it together, he had to for Katya and the family in general. Mikhail was one of the younger guards but he was also one of the most respected, if he was going to lose it, it would have to be behind closed doors, not at the funeral.

Thankfully some of his attention was focused on his most recent task of training the new woman, Mikhail was hesitant of the job he was given, he was hesitant of all outsiders but for the most part Annabella seemed competent and focused, which was all that Mikhail could ask for, at least for now.

"Hmm?" Currently Mikhail was posted in the corner of the room, watching Katya from afar and trying his best to give her space during this trying time. He watched as she took a pill and some wine and let out a long sigh. She was always the cause of his stress... she really shouldn't be mixing meds and alcohol as much as she did especially with her condition but it wasn't exactly something that he was able to call her out on in public even if this was an appropriate time. "I think for now she is simply trying to remain polite. Those girls back in that kitchen did a lot today and Katya may be powerful but she's always been polite." He pushed himself off the wall before looking down at the red haired woman who was now his trainee. The two of them wore very similar outfits only Mikhail was in a black tie instead, he always wore all black, it didn't stain with red.

Just as Mikhail finished saying the words to give her space, Stefan pointed out a guest that made Mikhail quickly change his mind. That and the sudden commotion erupting from the kitchen caused him to switch from mourning to go time rather quickly. "Well nevermind then." Mikhail sent a look to two of the other men in the room and suddenly they were working on removing everyone quickly but respectfully from the service and sending them on their way. "Well follow me. I think it's time for you to meet Aleksi." Mikhail grimaced as he spoke the males name and pulled his piece from his jacket as he entered the kitchen and wasted no time emptying a bullet into the floor in the corner. The silencer helped not scare anyone that might be elsewhere in the church but those in the room would surely notice.

"Now now, why are we all being so loud? This is a funeral aft-" Mikhail stopped speaking as his eyes landed on a woman that he assumed was his boss and best friend but in a change of clothes only... it wasn't. "What is going on here?" He moved his gun and pointed it at the girl who looked like Kat, "State your business at once."

 

[Pax Pardus Hale]

Katya Ivanov

Katya went from trying to thank the pink haired girl for her help to hearing a familiar voice that she never expected to hear on today of all days. Her baby blue eyes glanced over at Aleksi, someone who she hadn't seen since she was young. Her father kept tabs on all of the Pavlov family though, she knew what he looked like. Though, he just looked a lot better in person. The guy was speaking in circles. Something about being their for condolences, sending lilies, to calling her the wrong name. She didn't even get time to react before Nicholai joined them, then Stefan. They spoke of Masha, the name that Aleksi had called her. And then that's when Masha turned around. It took a second for Katya to process that what she was looking at wasn't a mirror. It was in fact a girl with her face and figure, and even her hair! Pink haired girl started to question Aleksi and Nicholai before turning her focus to how much Masha and Katya looked alike. Long lost sister, huh? But her mother died when she was born...

Suddenly there was a bullet in the floor and her guard and best friend Mikhail pointing his gun and trying to figure out what the hell was happening. To be honest, not even she knew what was going on anymore. "Oh, take a breath Mikhai." Katya let out a small sigh before reaching out and pointing his silenced pistol to the floor. With a deep breath she felt her shoulders relax as she tried to handle one issue at a time. "Aleksi, I do appreciate you coming by. It's good to see you, and I very much appreciate the flowers. We should catch up sometime." With that said Katya turned her attention to Masha with a small anxious smile. She was trying to deny anything that could be happening, but there was no way something like this was just a coincidence.

"Masha, I know it's a lot to process. My dad and mother were actually married at this church, that was his reasoning for wanting everything hosted in this church. I guess what he told me all these years was a crock of shit, though. I can only imagine my-our mother took you for some reason." Maybe Masha didn't have her health problems? The thought ached her heart for a moment but she quickly shook it off. "A-nyways. If you'd like a DNA test I would be happy to provide you one. But, I'm confident we both know what we are." If she was really her twin sister then she had already lost 25 years with her, she didn't want to waste much more time. She could join the family, run the family with her. Or at least enjoy the lifestyle Katya had the luxury to have, she wanted her sister to have a good life too.

 

[Pax Pardus Hale]

Annabella Valentina

The Petrov family, a mafia family that accepts people based on experience and skill. They were just as well known as Ivanov, though she heard they had a much more rowdier of family members. From the sight of Aleksi she could definitely understand that. He seemed boisterous and slightly irresponsible. "Oh, uh, right!" Annabella quickly followed after Mikhail towards the kitchen, her green eyes watching as the other guards started to clear out in the church. However, when she entered the kitchen she didn't truly expect Mikhail to shoot a bullet into the corner. It did cause everyone to stay quiet for a minute, but pointing it at Masha was definitely too far! "M-Mikhail have you never seen twins before?" Annabella was trying her best to stifle a laugh. This was a serious matter, but with Mikhail's reaction it was just so funny.

Katya spoke and Anna fell silent, her heart aching for the poor girl. A long lost sibling pretty much turning you away, and right after her-their father died. "See, now this is why I thought this would be a terrible idea! I knew they would run into each other. And who is fixing this floor?" An older pair of nuns walked through the doors of the kitchen and heaved a heavy sigh. "Yes Vladamir and Irina were married here. They ended up pregnant with twins, only one of the twins was ill. Irina never wanted her children raised in the family though, and Vladamir kept promising he'd leave. He never did, so Irina took one of the children and ran to give her a normal life and came here to live with us. She fell ill however, and she passed away with her dying wish to keep Masha from being raised in the family. You're father understood that, though he always did wish to reunite the girls." The nun gave a heavy sigh once more and shook her head. "I can assure you, there is no need for a DNA test. You're twins, identical twins."

Anna couldn't help but smile brightly, and for a moment she forgot why she was in the mob herself. Seeing a reunion like this was so sweet! "So, miss Katya is going to her club later. How about everyone takes a minute to process this and we can meet each other there tonight?" Yes she was a 'guard' but this moment she had to put that aside, though she knew Mikhail probably wasn't in the same mindset.

 

[ZombieBaee]

Masha

This was all just way too chaotic for her to handle and when the gun shot went off? Masha felt ready to faint but she remained on her feet only thanks to pure fear from the gun that was now pointed at her. "M-My intentions? I will remind you that you are in MY home!" She spattered the words at the man with the gun as her body shook out of annoyance and terror, thankfully Katya seemed to quickly shut down the clearly unstable individual and Masha was able to let out a small sigh of relief. Before she could catch up on the conversation it seemed everyone was fairly positive that the girls were related and soon after two of the older Sisters were joining them and confirming the entire story.

Masha's legs felt weak as she turned to hold herself up against the counter and listened to the others all speak. "I-I'm very sorry but I don't think any of this is a good idea. I mean, we're twenty five already and clearly live very different lives. If what the Sisters say is true, and our mother didn't want us to be a part of this life. Would it not be spitting on her grave to do so?" The small girl felt as if she was being steamrolled her, which wasnt anything new to her. It was common that people saw her and assumed she was a doormat but just because she was kind didn't mean she was weak.

It seemed as if her plans for the night were made up with out without her approval and she shot a look over at Zofia. "I suppose we were going to the club tonight anyways. But I won't go without Zofia and she has to work this evening, so we will be going to her bar or I won't be there. Furthermore, I don't know any of you and this ruffian of a man just held a gun at me and shot the floor. So I will be asking for Aleksi and Nicholai to join us if they would, they know your world but I also trust them. At least I trust them more than you. No offense..." It felt kind of bad saying these sorts of things to someone who was clearly family but... she was scared and skeptical. "I don't want to come off rude... I'm excited to meet you and get to know about you and even about our father. I just- I have a life here that I love. A life that is fundamentally quite different from yours I must assume."

--

It was a few hours later when Masha and Zofia finally set out on this insane excursion. They had respected her choice of asking Aleksi and Nicholai to join them, and while she wasn't sure that those men could be trusted either, at least she knew them in some way. "I cannot believe you've been sleeping with some guy in the mafia for MONTHS. How did you not know?" Masha sighed as she fixed her hair for the millionth time in the mirror. Zofia had helped her get dressed as usual, tonight she was wearing a tight red bodycon dress that stopped at her knees and had spaghetti straps. Over it she pulled on a nearly destroyed black denim jacket and some black heels on her feet. Her hair was in a simple pony tail and her face just looked tired from all of the stress, even under the makeup that had been applied.

The two girls made their way out to the alley behind the church and found the large SUV there waiting for them, Aleksi had offered his vehicle for transportation but Masha didn't realize how lavish it would all be. Most of the ride to the club she stayed silent but once they finally arrived she got out of the car and groaned.

"This is such a bad idea."

 

[Pax Pardus Hale]

Katya Ivanov

Masha's hesitance was perfectly understandable, she looked like a mild and sweet orphan. Getting mixed up with your twin sister that runs the mafia just sounded fucking dangerous. But lord, give Katya patience to deal with Mikhail, he didn't help with the fear factor. Randomly shooting and pointing guns at people, he was literally insane sometimes. Still he was her best friend, she just kind of dealt with his erratic behavior. Thankfully Anna was a level-headed girl and proposed that they all went out together tonight, Katya didn't even care that Aleksi had to come.

"Mikhail do try to not shoot anyone tonight, okay?" Katya shot a small wink at Mikhail as the large black SUV pulled up to the bar. As she stepped out of the vehicle it was clear Katya was fully done from head to toe; her long wavy hair was perfectly straightened and pulled back into a snug ponytail on the top of her head, her makeup pristinely done with her winged eyeliner paired with a red lipstick on her plump lips and a stunning highlight, and a tight black leather bodycon dressed hugged her figure. She wore her favorite black spiked Louis Vuitton heels that matched her black spiked clutch purse. The only thing that separated Katya from Masha was probably the breast enlargement surgery she had when she was 19, which her dresses like this usually accentuated.

The bar was similar to her club. Bright lights, loud music. A good place to hopefully talk Masha into at least TRYING the family lifestyle out! Travel, money, surely something the orphanage could never offer. Plus, who didn’t want to get to know their twin sister? “Oh, Masha! There you are.” Katya smiled and waved as she noticed the woman climbing out of a similar vehicle, of which she assumed belonged to Aleksi. Katya turned around to watch Stefan, Anna, and Mikhail get out of the large vehicle. “I think everyone is here, yes?”

 

[Colt Voltage]

Nicholai Petrov

"Might I just say that I'm completely against this? No offense, Masha, but it really isn't good for Aleksi to get mixed up with the Ivanov's. I'm pretty sure if his father finds out he'll have a stroke." The families were separate for a reason. They never seen eye to eye, and each family did similar things to earn their living so that made things more complicated. Unfortunately Aleksi didn't seem to care about boundaries and Katya was far too polite to turn him away, though he was sure Mikhail was giving her grief about it as well. Nicholai let out a heavy sigh as he thought about the issues that this was going to cause them...and the issues that Aleksi would never care about. Oh, hell. Maybe hanging out with Katya would make him straighten up a little?

"We're in agreement there." When Masha said this was a bad idea he couldn't argue with her. His blue eyes landed on Katya and her crew as they climbed from their SUV across the street. He couldn't help but cross his strong arms and look over everyone. Mikhail had looked as stern as ever, he had heard rumors of how intense he was. Nicholai admired that about him, he always appreciated a man dedicated to the job, especially in their line of work. Though, the way he acted in the kitchen was slightly erratic. The man needed to cut back a little and not be so uptight.

Maybe while everyone got drunk Mikhail would relax a little? Yeah, right. "Well let's get this night started." Nicholai held open the door for everyone and adjusted the blue and black suit he wore with his other hand.

 

[ZombieBaee]

Zofia Smith

"It's not like we're dating, he just comes and hangs out at the bar sometimes and he seemed normal enough. All sorts of rich shady people hang out at the club, I just thought he was some trust fund baby." Zofia chuckled as she finished getting ready for what was possibly going to be the most interesting night of work she had ever had. She had to admit that Masha did have a little bit of a point, she probably should get to know more about the people she had... relations... with but oh well. Honestly living where she was, it wasn't strange to deal with or see members of the different mafia families in public. It was just a part of the culture around town. "Now come on girlie, I know this is all borderline insane but you've always wondered what your bio family was like! Now you get to know! Doesn't that make it worth it? Plus you have a real for shit TWIN. That's so fucking cool."

Zofia grabbed her work keys off the side table and shoved them in her sling backpack before shoving her feet into her Docs. Nighttime Zofia was insanely different looking than daytime church Zofia. Tonight she wore a pair of white and black Docs that complimented the destroyed fishnet tights on her long pale legs. A pair of high waisted leather shorts were covering her bottom half with the top of her tights peeking out the top. A small sliver of skin was exposed on her abdomen, showing off the large burning heart tattoo across her diaphragm before the bottom of her long-sleeved white crop top began. Her makeup was heavy handed and her hair was now in a messy bun that sat high on her head.

-

Zofia spent the first part of her shift bribing the other bartenders to carry most of the workload tonight after explaining the situation, said that she would handle this crew of people as if they were a private party. At first they were annoyed but after she explained WHO this group of people were, suddenly her coworkers had a much different tune.

"You all better tip me well tonight, I've given up working the bar on a friday." She rolled her eyes as she brought over the tray with another round of shots as well as the bottle of Don 1942 that Aleksi requested. "You know that just because it is expensive, it doesn't mean that it's good." She rolled her eyes yet again as she thrust the bottle over to the man and took a seat on the plush leather of the rounded seats. They had been able to get them one of the available VIP rooms for the evening, it was close to the bar but set aside from the dance floor and other festivities enough to have conversation.

"Masha isn't bold enough to ask anything so I will, how exactly do you want to go from here? I mean you're clearly related that much is set in stone." Zofia glanced over at her friend who was now shooting daggers at her with her eyes and let out a curt laugh, "Masha you struggle every day to make ends meet and to stay positive okay, someone has to push you to seize opportunities when they arise." It had always been like this since they met each other, Masha kept them responsible and stable but Zofia had to constantly remind her friend that there was more to life than simply surviving.

 

[KAYDEN]

Aleksi Petrov

"Oh of course we will join you! I would never miss an opportunity to see an old friend as well as the opportunity to hang out with two of my favorite orphans!" Aleksi winked over at Zofia as Masha gave her piece to the others. Honestly he was going to be there whether he had been invited or not, this was all just far too juicy for his dramatic ass to ignore. Plus any information he could get that could possibly lead to dirt on Vlad... he had to take it. All this was starting to smell like the Ivanov family wasn't as perfect as they liked to pretend they were. Nicholai piped up besides him and Aleksi turned to him with a sly grin, "Well my friend, I see no reason for father to know. At least for now, this is just friendly drinks with friends. Right?"

There was an opportunity here... and not just a normal Aleksi opportunity that involved fucking shit up simply for his own enjoyment, no there was a possibility of some real advancement for his family here. While they waited to pick up the girls and head to the bar he told Nicholai about his hopes of getting some good information to take home but he wasn't exactly sure how to get it without being obvious. Plus he did truly respect all of these people, well maybe not Mikhail as much but the rest of them yes. Aleksi had never been great at this whole mafia thing but with his father getting sicker by the day... he had to start making moves to gain respect.

After a few hours the two men returned and escorted the women to their normal watering hole and found themselves placed in a VIP room with the help of Zofia despite the fact that beween Katya and himself it could have been simply paid for... but oh well. Now it had been a few very boring hours of drinking and light conversation, no one had really gotten into the deep stuff yet and it wasn't his place to start said conversation. Aleksi ordered an entire bottle of tequila for the next round in hopes that increased alcohol intake would equal increased conversation.

Zofia swooped in and dropped everything on the table before handing him the bottle and he gave her a small smirk, "Ah moja piękna dziewczyna, how correct you are. However in this case." He swirled the bottle around before pouring some in his mouth and swallowing, "It does mean it is good." He handed the bottle over to his guard as Zofia finally broke the silence and started some conversation.

"I mean, if Masha is uncomfortable with the idea of fully emerging herself into the Ivanov life, she could always come dip her toes in our home. At least there she would be with people she knows a little better. Of course, it is simply an offer." Aleksi knew this would piss off nearly everyone in the small room, Nicholai included. But honestly? It kind of just escaped his brain. He had been thinking about it while they all slowly drank, if he could get the long lost Ivanov sister to come stay with them, the Ivanov family would finally need something that Aleksi had. Of course Masha wouldn't be held hostage or anything but Aleksi was positive he could make the situation attractive enough for her to stay of her own free will.

 

[Pax Pardus Hale]

Katya Ivanov

"I promise you will be compensated generously, miss Zofia." Katya's lips turned up into a small smile as she reached for the glass of water ordered. As much as the young woman wanted to drink and have a good time with the others, having Mikhail constantly throwing over judgmental glances had her calm herself. Besides, she could have a good time just getting to know her twin sister. Twin. Sister. It was still so crazy to think about! Katya felt pressured to have a family, to make sure that someone would carry on the Ivanov name should she suddenly perish like her father. Katya was predicted to have died by her tenth birthday, but most of her lifestyle was all about health. Healthy eating, plenty of exercise, meditation, and the occasional glass of wine or shot of vodka to celebrate something since it didn't mix well with her medication. If Masha was around and should Katya suddenly die Katya could comfortably leave the family in her hands. She just had to learn the ropes.

Aleksi's words floored her. The question had clearly meant to be answered by Katya, yet here he was shoving his nosey nose in family business! With a heavy scoff Katya instantly shook her head. "No, absolutely not. You should know that anything like that is strictly taboo, and I don't allow anything or anyone that's been part of Petrov into the family. I'm sure your father would feel the same way about having a full blooded Ivanov in his family...besides, I don't want her getting a bad taste of the family in her mouth." Katya had to do sketchy things to earn her respect. Intimidation that had led to torture, 'convincing' powerful people to help the family, bribing people, not to mention the unregistered gun trade they had going on. And maybe Masha wouldn't be into that! But Ivanov's also had several charities they ran. The family wasn't all bad and that's what she wanted to show her.

If it wasn't her thing and she only wanted a relationship with Katya, well, that was fine too. Mikhail was like an overprotective brother, but having a twin sister? She wanted to do everything with her! Especially since it seemed she struggled. "Masha I'm not asking you to sign on to the family, although I would like for you to at least meet everyone someday. They'd welcome you with open arms. I won't let you struggle, I would like you to move into my personal home. Enjoy the lifestyle I live for a while and I promise you, you won't want to go back. Zofia, you are more than welcome to join us, whatever would make Masha comfortable."

As soon as Nicholai poured the shots of the tequila Katya couldn't help herself. Aleksi was stressing her out beyond belief and she hoped this took the edge off.

 

[Colt Voltage]

Nicholai Petrov

Things were awkward, to say the least. Aleksi had a grand scheme and despite the fact that HE was convinced it was a great idea, Nicholai knew otherwise. Katya was just like Vlad had been, handy with a gun and intimidating as hell. Their black market arms ring alone was enough to make Nicholai want to stay away. And then there was the guard Mikhail. Unpredictable and quick to draw a gun, he did not want to get in a fight with him. And pissing off Katya would only lead to a fight, he didn't want to fight either of them. Besides, could Aleksi pull this off? The man was good at schmoozing people over, winning women over, and causing trouble. What if he caught feelings for one of the Ivanov girls?! He would not live it down, Nicholai was pretty sure his dad would lock him away and throw away the key.

"Yeah, yeah." Nicholai rolled his eyes as Aleksi gave him the bottle and he quickly poured the small glasses full of the liquid. Though, when Aleksi spoke up he nearly spilled the bottle but quickly caught it. "Fuck no Aleksi, that's a terrible idea and you know it." Nicholai shot a heavy glare over at his boss and friend, letting out a small sigh of relief when Katya spoke up. Between her and his boss she had to be the voice of reason. "That sounds like a better idea. Aleksi you can see Miss Masha and Zofia at the clubs like you usually do. That way we're not getting involved in Miss Katya's business. Sounds good, right?"

 

[ZombieBaee]

Masha

-2 months later-

Everything changed that night, Masha and Zofia were thrust into the life of the Ivanovs, though she supposed she too was an Ivanov. It all still felt like a dream, maybe even a nightmare. The night in the club, Masha had politely declined Aleksi's offer though she did have to admit it seemed nice, despite the others flipping out over it. The two girls had returned to the Church that evening and spoke to the sisters about their plan, they took about a week to move out and make sure they left things in good hands. The sisters were apprehensive about Masha's decision but made sure the girls knew that they were always welcome to return home or visit if they ever needed anything.

Then it was time for life in the Ivanov house, it was huge, larger than Masha would have ever imagined. Masha was given a room that was twice the size of the one she shared with Zofia back home and was filled with lush items and clothes that before she would have never been able to own. Honestly it all made her uncomfortable at first, she was a very simple woman and this was just all so much. Thankfully Masha had Katya to ease her into everything here... the family was so intense and had so many questions about where she had been all this time. Katya fielded most of that though so that was good.

Now it was two months later and Masha was slowly getting into the groove of things, for now she tried her best to ignore the mafia part of things, which was hard in a house full of members but... well she tried. A lot of her time was spent either with Katya or hiding out in the kitchen and helping the staff. Baking and cooking was her safe space and helped her stay grounded in all of the insanity. Today Masha was in the kitchen helping prepare and serve lunch for everyone. Even though everyone here was a member of a violent organization they also had a lot of family values, they often ate their meals together with at least some of the members and everyone regularly hung out in the houses various rooms playing pool or drinking.

"Here, I'll take these out to the table." Masha smiled over at the chef and took the platter full of finger sandwiches before quickly leaving the room and returning to the ornate dining room and adding the plate to the table already full of food before sitting down next to Katya and starting to fill her plate. "So you were telling me about the other families. I didn't realize there was any other groups besides you guys and Aleksi's. It is kind of insane to realize how much happens around the city that us normal citizens don't even realize."

 

[Pax Pardus Hale]

Katya Ivanov

The past two months had almost healed the broken heart Katya had over the death of her father. Masha and Zofia were an interesting addition to the family, though most of the older members didn't seem to agree. Masha was family, the house had to just get over it. The home was large and had several wings and floors to it. Katya had her own separate wing for the 'head family', she had several rooms there and she placed both of the girls there. Leaving them out with the members could be dangerous, some of them did not like the fact that Katya took in the 'orphans', acting like they were after the family's fortune or something. What part of Katya's word being final didn't everyone get?

"Where are the security cameras? Are you telling me they just so happened to stop working the day the ring came up missing?" Katya was sitting at the head of the large table sipping on a very full glass of red wine, heavy a heavy sigh as members of the family blamed the new house members on the theft. It was Zofia or Masha. It was neither, but no one was listening! All they kept doing was throwing out accusations, but Katya had no physical proof that she didn't do it. If only they could find the damn rings! It was the one of a kind ring set that Vladamir had made for him and his wife. The Ivanov mafia was hundreds of years old and the rings were one of their most valuable items in the house, pricing at a few million dollars. It was more sentimental than anything for Katya. The rings were stored in her father's old room, there were cameras in every hallway! She was sure Zofia and Masha didn't know how to turn off the cameras, they weren't those kind of people. And how would they even know about the rings?

"Quiet." Katya shot a glare to one of the older members as Masha joined them from the kitchen. Katya tried her best to give her a gentle smile, nodding slowly at her sisters words. "They're all not very relevant. Ours is the oldest and by far most successful, Aleksi's family is new and pretty successful, but the others don't matter. Too poor, not enough connections, no deep roots." With a small sigh the slim woman rose to her feet and smoothed out her tight black dress. "Zofia should be back soon, correct? Let's wait for her in our wing." Katya picked up the glass of wine, and motioned for the older members to get out of her way so they could make their way down the hall to the double doors to the wing the three women had been sharing.

"Masha, dear, we have an issue. It is something I am trying to deal with, I have had Mikhail and Stefan looking into it all day." They entered the living room of the wing that overlooked Yaroslavl and she proceeded to sit down on the large plush couch. "So if anyone in the house says anything to you do let me know, I will have them properly punished. Just because father is dead I will not stand for disrespect from the family. But, from now on I will have Anna follow you around. It's for your safety, I promise." If anyone was really gunning after Zofia or Masha they'd need protection. Zofia was around Aleksi more often than not and he had Nicholai to protect them, so Masha would need a guard as well.

 

[Pax Pardus Hale]

Annabella Valentina

The past two months had been exhausting. From keeping up with Katya, trying to guard the other girls, and trying to keep up with Mikhail's rules and expectations Anna wasn't sure she was going to be able to do this. But this was to find her dad's killers, she was going to have to find a way to manage. Then this morning some valuable rings came up missing and the energy in the Ivanov household had shifted. Things were far more tense than before, and it seemed everyone that knew about the missing rings were casting blame on Zofia and Masha. The girls were good girls from an orphanage for crying out loud, they weren't high tech hackers trying to steal multi-million dollar jewelry! That's why Katya ordered Anna to split from her guard and watch over Masha specifically, much to Mikhail's seemingly disapproval.

This felt like far more responsibility than guarding the Katya, but if she could do this she would prove a valuable asset to the Ivanov's. As she waited for Katya and Masha in the living she straightened the white button up short sleeved shirt she wore. Although she was sure her years on the police force would prove useful in finding the rings Katya insisted Masha needed a guard. When the two women joined Anna in the living room she turned around and smiled at each of them before moving over to stand by the couches. Anna gave a small nod when Katya got to the part of Anna guarding Masha. "It's a pleasure to be assigned to protect you miss Masha, I promise to take good care of you. Can I get you anything to drink?" Anna had a sweet smile on her face, she was almost too pretty to be a guard. Her fire red hair, her slender figure, it was hard to think of her as an agile skilled hand-to-hand combater and sharpshooter.

Hopefully that didn't make Masha reject her and want a new guard. Annabella hoped they got along well, she seemed far more easy going than Katya did.

 

[Sir Damien]

Stefan

In the Ivanov family the lawyer was an important member, meaning Stefan resided in the main family's wing. Most of the time it was quiet, Vlad, Mikhail, and Katya were relatively strict and very professional people. However with the loss of Vlad, the addition to the bubbly Anna, Zofia, and the quiet Masha things were far more lively. It was a nice change of pace for once, and it was still better than living in the main house with everyone else. The men were snobs or animals and there was no in between, so it was no surprise when something fishy like this happened. Only, it was far more than fishy. It was an extremely sentimental item to the the main Ivanov family, it was a ring set passed through generations of the head of the family, the rings Katya's and Masha's father and mother had most recently wore. Not to mention the finest white gold, and the exquisite diamonds and craftsmanship made them one of a kind, worth well over a million dollars. Of course that would be the pieces of the house to take to set off a reaction of this magnitude.

Stefan also didn't believe the two new additions to their home knew how to disable cameras, let alone believe that these women were capable of something like this. Normally, Stefan would be in charge of prosecuting the thief and making sure they not only retrieved the items but locked them up for life, or worse if Katya deemed it so. From the sounds of it things were different this time around, Katya stressed the importance of proving their innocence. Police were never involved in the incidents of the family, they were handled internally for the most part. Stefan and Mikhail were assigned to do a sweep of the girls room to prove neither one of them could do something like that, and to make sure everything was put back where they found it.

That's how Stefan ended up searching Zofia's room. The rooms were large, Zofia and Masha's rooms were connected by a large bathroom as well. He started to look in the most obvious places; he hadn't spent enough time with Zofia to form a profile on her, though he knew she was a sweet girl with good intentions from their few interactions around the home together. Under the bed, under the mattress, pillowcases, dressers. It took longer than he had anticipated looking for the ring, though he knew that the diamond on the ring was large and pear shaped. After a few hours of searching after Zofia and Masha parted their rooms he was starting to feel pretty good that he wouldn't find anything. The last place possible to search was the air vent that he was sure she couldn't have reached, not easily at least despite her still being a tall woman. Hell Stefan was a large man and could barely reach in the vent.

After patting around his hand in the vent a few times he was confident that the rings weren't in here. Well, until he felt a small black velvet pouch that he quickly pulled out. As he opened the pouch and looked inside at its contents his eyes widened at the glistening diamond ring and the equally exquisite male ring. "Well, fuck." Stefan ran a frustrated hand through his long hair and gave an exasperated sigh. This had to be a frame job, but the evidence was stacking against her at this point.

Stefan walked out of the room and ran downstairs, holding the pouch in his hands as he entered the living room. "Things aren't looking great, but there's still no chance she could have done this. It was in the air vent." Stefan sat the pouch next to Katya's glass of wine and crossed his arms next. "Where do you want to go from here?"

 

[ZombieBaee]

Zofia Smith

Living with the mafia was nothing short of insane, most of the family didn't really seem to like the idea of Masha and Zofia moving in but fuck em, Masha had the right to be here and there was no way in hell that Zofia was going to let her best friend go through all of this insanity alone. Though she did suppose that for the last two months a lot of her time had been spent occupied with Aleksi... Zofia didn't do relationships but Masha was spending a lot of her time getting to know her twin so Zofia tried to give them the space to get to know each other and everyone in the house really seemed to hate her being there so she found herself at Aleksi's home more often than not. The two of them quickly got a lot more serious than either of them had initially intended when they first met and within the last week he had even asked her to be his actual girlfriend. Zofia said yes but... she was so uncomfortable with the labels. Getting close to people only meant it hurt more when they left and everyone eventually left... saying they were dating meant that they could break up! Before it just meant they were friends who would eventually just grow out of each other... Plus Zofia self sabotoged like a mother fucker! It was just a bad idea but, she really did like him.

"Aleksi they already don't like me, you can't just barge in without knocking! Plus you're going to give Nicholai a fucking heart attack!" Zofia sneered at Aleksi from over his shoulder as he carried her into the front door on his back before turning her head to chuckle at the vein popping out of the poor body guards forehead. The three of them were returning from her morning workout at the pool at his house. "And you do know that when I asked you to walk me in, I didn't mean I couldn't use my legs." She chuckled as the two of them walked into the large main room and Zofia looked around for Masha. She didn't seem to be around but instead she was met with a dozen or so glares and whispers. It was no secret that these men felt some type of way about her and especially about her new boyfriend but... this was different. They seemed much more angry and sinister today. "Uhm, excuse us." Zofia adjusted and dropped to the floor before grabbing Aleksi by the arm and yanking him in the direction of the wing her bedroom was in, hopefully she could find Katya or Masha somewhere in there but if not at least she could hide in her room.

Thankfully hiding didn't seem necessary and they quickly found a small group of people gathering in their large shared living space. "So what happened here? Those guys already look at me like I'm a low life but this afternoon they are acting particularly salty." Zofia shrugged and headed over to the refreshment area and pulled a bottle of water from the mini fridge before turning back and looking over everyone's faces. Stefan and Katya in particular both looked rather disturbed. "Seriously like did someone get shot? I have to imagine that happens a lot around here."

 

[ZombieBaee]

Masha

Masha wasn't very well versed in this world but she wasn't stupid either, something was being discussed as she sat down at the table and it was something that clearly causing some sort if discord within the household. Masha pretended not to notice and simply listened to Katya's explanation of the other organizations, "Yeah I believe Nicholai was explaining to me the other day while he waited to pick up Zofia that the other groups exist mainly just to commit crimes and claim themselves as mafia. I think I'm starting to understand the difference. Criminal groups and the mafia both commit crimes but... mafia does it to protect the town. It's admirable in a way I suppose..." With that Katya stood and Masha blinked at her a few times before excusing herself from the table as well and following after her twin.

The wing that the core family shared was as big as the entire dormitory at the church and was basically its own house in itself, so they were able to join and converse in a private living area rather than their bedrooms which she supposed was nice. As they entered the room Masha acknowledged the presence of Annabella and gave the woman a polite hello before sitting on the couch next to Katya and listened intently. She knew something had happened, you could feel the tension in the air in the manor today but now Masha had a gross feeling in her stomach.

"W-Wait, what even happened? I mean no one has said anything but I noticed everyone seemed a bit more disgusted by my presence today than normal..." Masha sighed and ran a hand through her long wavy hair before turning to Anna with a small smile, "O-Oh well that's greatly appreciated. I have to imagine that with Katya and Mikhail's trust you must be quite good at what you do. And I have to admit it feels good knowing you'll be around... and that you're much less intense than Mikhail." She couldn't help but giggle a little at the end there despite the pit growing in her stomach. "But no thank you, I am fine." She turned her attention back to Katya for a moment before turning her head to the sound of the door opening and Stefan joining them.

"Air vent?" Masha turned and blinked a few times at Katya before looking between her twin and the small velvet bag. "What is that in the bag? Is that the issue you have had them looking into this morning?" The door opened again and Masha let out an exasperated sigh as Zofia and her two new growths followed in behind her. Not that she minded either of the men but Aleksi was quite tiresome. "Z-Zofia! Be nice! N-No one got shot! W-Wait no one got shot right?"

 

[KAYDEN]

Aleksi Petrov

Aleksi was having a hell of a great time over the past two months, he was having a whole lot of fun with Zofia and he was getting to know his childhood friend all over again despite their organizations differing opinions. His father was looking at the situation a bit differently unfortunately, his father saw this as Aleksi finally playing dirty, doing what he had to in order to get inside the Ivanov Manor and learn their secrets. He didn't have the heart to tell him that he honestly just liked Zofia as a person as well as that he honestly was just enjoying his time hanging around Katya and her long lost sister. Hell he didn't even have the heart to tell his father about Masha EXISITING yet! It was information that he knew would lead their family into a witch hunt, which was something that for now Aleksi wanted to avoid. He knew that he needed to honor his duty but... it felt wrong because he knew it would only end up hurting Katya and Masha if he found anything to use against them... they were still people even if they were Ivanovs.

"Yeah well I've never much cared about any Ivanov opinion." Aleksi chuckled and adjusted Zofia on his back as he opened the door and waltzed into the room. "Hello boys! Good afternoon to you all." His hair was still wet from his shower after swimming but he was dressed to the nines as usual, something that normally gained him a few eye rolls and huffs from the men in the manor but today all of their distain seemed to be focused on the woman on his back rather than him. As Zofia dropped to her feet Aleski quickly switched into serious mode and wrapped an arm around her shoulder as he shot a glance over at Nicholai before they made their way to the wing the girls all lived in. Something strange was happening around here today...

They found some of the others talking in the sitting room and Aleksi listened intently while scanning the room from where he leaned against the back of one of the couches. Then his eyes landed on the item in Stefan's hand and his eyes went a little wide. "Woah there Stefy boy, even I know what's in that little pouch there. Good Ol' Vlad cherished the hell out of that thing. What's it doing out of the old mans office?"