Realistic or Modern Of Ivanov Blood Reboot//All spots full!

[ZombieBaee]

Masha Ivanov

Quite a bit of time had passed since that night that her and her twin were rescued from the odd cage in the church cemetery. Masha didn't know who she was after that, her entire life had been spent being devoted to that church and the sisters who resided there but now, knowing what they were capable of, she couldn't seem to make herself think straight. Katya almost died that night. All because of the church, a place Masha had once called home. That night they all turned in after they made it home safely and planned to talk more in the morning, only Masha didn't want to talk. She wanted to get away from this place. Away from the church. Away from this city even. So thats what she decided, there was no way she could stay here a moment longer or she would have talked herself out of it. Once Masha was sure the others were their rooms and asleep she packed a bag and made her way out of the home. Only she didn't make it unseen... Annabella caught her and tried to convince her to stay however when she realized there was no way Masha could be talked out of it, she decided to simply go with her.

And now a year had passed.

Masha and Annabella had gone all over the place hiding out. They didn't have much money to go on so they could make what they could in a town so that they could survive and move onto the next anytime things started to seem fishy. They would stay in hostels and travel via train with fake IDs that Annabella had made for the two of them so they wouldn't be followed. At first Masha was scared that Annabella came along in order to try and get her to return to the Ivanovs but eventually she was just happy for a friend. It was hard to leave Zofia behind... terrible actually. There wasn't a single day that passed that she wasn't missing her best friend but... she had to do this after everything. She had to get away.

Now they were in a small town in France, Masha and Annabella were renting a small room above a bakery in exchange for the two of them working downstairs. It was a pretty fair exchange considering the two of them liked baking anyways and they could make themselves some extra to cut down on any grocery bills they had. "Good morning!" Masha chimed as she joined Annabella in the back of the bakery with a large smile on her face. She was slowly finding herself out here on their travels, she loved baking and reading and shockingly enjoyed swimming an insane amount. She was bolder than she thought she was once she was finally away from the church and everything she knew... it was like she was slowly becoming free. "How did you sleep?"

 

[EclipseRosee]

Mikhail Sommers

“I told you we never should have allowed this. Whatever this is.” Mikhail groaned from his seat on the jet, glaring over at Nicholai as he did. He knew very well that his bodyguard counter part agreed with him, and that he was preaching to the choir but still he had to voice his grievances at any available option. The last year had been hell for Mikhail. After Masha and Annabella went missing it wasn’t long before Katya completely lost it! Between nearly dying and losing her sister again, she had let loose and decided to run off and travel with Aleksi. Thankfully Mikhail and Nicholai caught onto their plan before they left the city and were able to force themselves into the travel plans… but now he kind of wished he hadn’t. Every single day he had to be faced with Katya throwing away everything she worked so hard for, everything he worked so hard to protect! And for what? Aleksi? The man who couldn’t decide what woman he wanted to be with and left one in the dust recently. What a sound choice even if he wasn’t also the soon to be boss of the rival family. And then on top of it all? He had to spent every waking moment with Nicholai while watching Aleksi and Katya be all… gross.

It was hard to be around him this much. To not want to fall back into what they once were, especially when they were around the only other couple in the world that might understand them. There were too many things working against Nicholai and Mikhail, at least that’s the excuse that Nicholai gave him when they stopped whatever they were all those years ago now… they shouldn’t be together. They worked as bodyguards for rival mafia bosses. They both devoted their lives to their work. When you add all that ontop of a world that wasn’t fully accepting of their relationship at base level? It was just a recipe for disaster. But at least at one point Mikhail had been willing to try… when Nicholai threw in the towel, Mikhail knew that was the end of relationships for him. Somehow after that he got more serious, colder… truly after that all he did was focus on Katya and the family.

“We will be landing soon. I really hope the two of you realize you’ll have to knock it off the minute we’re back in the city.” Mikhail growled back at the couple behind him before continuing, “The city’s in bad shape from what I hear from some of the boys. After Aleksi’s father passed and you guys chose to not instantly return, it was seen as weakness and the police are taking it as a sign they can start to actually try and move into the city. We need to show a strong front on both sides here okay? Seriously. A war is brewing.”

 

[ZombieBaee]

Zofia Smith

Masha went missing again after the night they rescued her and Katya from the church. Only this time it was with Annabella instead of her twin and a note was left behind that they were safe but not to come looking. That was the final straw for Zofia. That was what broke her in two. Between everything new in her life, learning the dark things lingering around the church, Aleksi and now Masha running off...it was all too much. Zofia couldn't go back to the church and she didn't feel right taking advantage of the hospitality offered to her from Katya or Aleksi to stay at their homes. So instead she used all the money she had been saving for her and Masha to get an apartment, to find herself something small closer to downtown. That meant a shoebox sized apartment above a pizzeria that was big enough for her and only her. However despite it being so small, the rent was a little steeper than she anticipated. For a while she was doing okay keeping up with the payments but as the city got more and more unsafe with the impending doom of war, less and less people found themselves going out and drinking. Her tips took a nose dive and eventually the bar closed up on weekdays and was only open on weekends. There was no way for her to make enough money for her rent working that little and no one would hire her… there was no way she could go back to the church so Zofia started seeking out under the table work.

That’s when she found Samuel. A shady man who started hanging out around the bar, at first Zofia thought he was selling drugs and told him to scram but that’s when he sold her on what he was actually trying to recruit for. Fighting. He was looking for someone to bet on for fights. At first he laughed at Zofias offer but one punch was all it took to convince him other wise.

It was a year later now and Zofia no longer worked at the bar at all. Her life revolves around training and fighting. Samuel would bet his money on her one way or another and then she got a share of the winnings. They had a pretty good system going, despite the fact that it relied on Zofia getting her ass kicked every so often. She cut everyone out when she left as well. Aleksi, Nicholai, Stefan… Clearly Masha wanted nothing to do with her and Zofia was never close with any of the others like Katya so… oh well. The only one that was really hard was Stefan but, even if Zofia wasn’t involved in the illegal shit she currently was, she didn’t want to drag him down. She was a mess. Her love life was a bigger mess. He didn’t deserve having to deal with her…

“I’m fine really. Just a bruise.” Zofia chuckled and tried her best to give a smile to her former coworker across the bar as she handed her a bag of ice to place on her ribs. Honestly they might be broken but that was a problem to handle later. “Thanks.” She took a long drink of her beer and winced slightly as she swallowed, the movement in her chest causing a bit of pain. This was nothing new though, a few days without a fight and she would be good as new. Well, at least good enough to fight.

 

[Pax Pardus Hale]

Katya Ivanov

Everything had went to shit after they had been rescued from the dungeon. Masha disappeared and it crushed Katya; after the confusing moment with Aleksi she had needed her sister. Hell, she almost died. She needed someone! Annabella was missing as well so she knew that she was with Masha and at least she’d be safe, but it didn’t make her feel any less alone. Mikhail was her best friend and confidant but, some things she couldn’t talk to him about. Like the overwhelming pressure she was feeling from being the leader, from the anxieties of almost dying, how life was short and she just wanted to spend it with the one person everyone kept telling her she couldn’t.

Katya was tired, she was so tired of living life according to the families rules. It was then that she determined that she needed to get away; both to refresh herself and to figure out what the fuck the church was up to. Late one night she wrote a letter to Stefan explaining how he'll need to handle things until she returned, and then she went out on a limb and reached out to Aleksi. She told him that she realized life was short and she was going on a trip for a while, and that she wanted him to come with her. Only if he wanted to though, she let him know the time and the place and left it at that. Much to her surprise he actually showed up, even more to her surprise so did Mikhail and Nicholai. Katya understood their concern but at the same time she just wished for a little time to themselves, they were always around other people. Still, they both refused to leave. So the party of four boarded her family jet.

"It'll do you well to remember that father, you, and I went on trips every so often. It's not odd for the leader to need a break to refresh themselves." It was, however, odd for the leader to go off with her rival. She had the best possible time with him though; they traveled and seen all of Europe, all the sights, major cities, oceans, and landmarks. One of her favorites happened to be the Vatican, where she got to kick the shit out of some priests that were part of the nasty cult that nearly killed her.

In the end Katya got control of the church, she sent a letter to Masha (thankfully she was still able to communicate with Annabella). "How are you feeling?" Katya gently nudged Aleksi before lacing her fingers together with his. The two had gotten to be what Mikhail called 'grossly close'. She didn't need vacation to fall in love with him, she already was head over heels for him, but it was nice to spend some time with just the two of them...well, four. He had known for a while about his father being sick but it didn't make it any easier. He didn't seem to want to come back immediately, but as time ticked by and the mention of war on the horizon Katya insisted they come home. They could sneak around or something at home, but they needed to do some damage control. Mikhail was right, but she would die before she admitted it.

 

[Pax Pardus Hale]

Annabella

There was no doubt in her mind that the day that the girls were rescued that Masha was up to something. She was more quiet than normal and she just looked defeated, so Annabella prepared herself for the worst case scenario. Turns out, she was right. Anna had packed a bag just in case Masha decided to leave and there she was, sneaking out in the dead of night. Did she try to convince her to stay? Of course! Masha was a sweet girl and she was terrified that someone would take advantage of that sweetness. When she wouldn't take no for an answer Anna threw in the towel, grabbed her bag, and hit the road with her. Katya tasked Anna with watching over Masha and that was exactly what she would do.

Who knew they would be gone for a whole year? Anna stayed in contact with Katya, who seemed to have a similar running away idea...must have been a twin thing. Katya said do what she needed to do to keep Masha safe, that she would work on a way to get her to come home.

Now here they were, living on fake ID's and whatever money they could scrounge up. Anna could have used the Ivanov funds at any point but they would have been tracked. So here they were, living in a room the size of a closet above the bakery. Compared to her old barracks though, it was rather spacious. Plus, the company was great. Masha was a beautiful and vibrant and was discovering herself more and more on the trip. Anna loved being able to watch her grow.

"Good morning there sunshine." The red headed thin woman pulled a cake from the oven, a bright smile on her red painted lips. Her hair was pulled into a ponytail, she wore red heels to match her aesthetic, she even wore a red ruffled apron over her black dress. "I slept great, actually. I even went and got the mail. You've got something." It was odd for them to get mail, the only person that knew of their location was Katya and even then she never wrote either of them anything. "Here. How'd you sleep?" Anna sat down the cake so it could cool and she pulled off the oven mitts, reaching into the pocket of the apron and handing her the letter.

The letter was rather professional looking with the Ivanov seal, and it was addressed to Masha's alias. "She said she'd write when she had good news." Anna gave her a small, sad smile. She knew that Masha was living her best life, but at some point she knew she'd have to go home to see her friends and family...right? "Whether or not we go back home is up to you, dear. I'm rather enjoying myself getting to be on the run with you." With that said Anna moved over to an already cooled cake so she could begin to ice it.

 

[Colt Voltage]

Nicholai Petrov

"You act like I didn't protest this trip just as much as you did, man." Nicholai sat in the reclining seat with his legs kicked up, the tall blonde guard flipping through channels on the flatscreen TV. There were perks of being forced on this vacation, like the luxury lifestyle Katya and Aleksi both liked to live. Seeing sights from England to Asia, eating good food and drinking liquor. All of that would have been better if him and Mikhail were on better terms. That, and if Mikhail looked at Aleksi in a little better light. Was Nicholai happy about the trip? No! But he knew how Aleksi felt about the woman, he was happy for the pair. He wished Mikhail would pull the stick out of his ass for once and just be happy that someone in this shitty life got to be happy. Though, he did agree that the pair was grossly infatuated with one another. It was puppy love from their earlier years, it was puppy dog love a year ago, and it was still like that to this day. Would it ever stop?

It was Nicholai's fault of course for the rift between him and Michael, but over the long year he felt himself relaxing a bit more. If Katya and Aleksi, the now leaders of two rival families, could let themselves fall for each other why couldn't they? Wouldn't it be better for them to be more in sync to protect their bosses? They were both bull headed protectors, they enjoyed similar drinks and they were both like-minded. Would it be bad if they gave it another chance? Hell, if he even had a shot with Mikhail. The man seemed to hate Nicholai, he had grown far more cold over the years and it hurt to see. Him and Katya were both similarly cold people while he and Aleksi were far more relaxed than them, maybe they would be able to balance each other out.

"Your mother didn't seem happy, boss. She kinda sounded pissed." Reasonably so, after the son who was to take over his father's leadership role in the mob refused to come back as soon as he passed. The death was a long time coming but, it didn't ease the pain. The man had always treated Nicholai with respect, he always praised his abilities to keep his son safe and thanked him...Nicholai was just thankful he was at peace, however he was not looking forward to the shit storm waiting for them at the manor. Aleksi was going to pay dearly, his mother would make sure of it. "Once the city sees that the Dons are back the cops will back off. If anyone tries to come into our territory we'll take care of them. Just take a chill pill Mikhail. And sit down, the plane's landing."

Not long after that the jet touched down and slowly came to a complete stopped. The light for the seatbelt flickered off, the pilot announced their arrival and bid them all a good day. Quickly Nicholai unsnapped his belt and stood up with a long stretch and yawn. "The driver should be waiting for us on the terminal, yeah? Let's go." With that said Nicholai walked out of the plane and down the stairs to the SUV on the runway. Already their bags were being loaded into the car. "You kids ready?"

 

[Sir Damien]

Stefan

If you would have asked Stefan a year ago what being the boss of and mob organization would be like, he would have said it was some cush job handed down to the generations of the family. Now? He was certain it was the worst job ever. He would have rather been a dishwasher, truly. They had to make tough calls that affected not only the families lives but the lives of the city, and lives of the family members scattered across the countries. That aside, the fucking torture involved in being boss? The intimidation that was needed? It terrified Stefan. He was a strong man but that was not his forte. He'd rather battle someone in the courtroom! Underground methods were not his forte, and the lack of desire to intimidate and torture people made him seem weak.

The family did not respect Stefan as much as Mikhail, and certainly not as much as they respected Katya! She was the daughter of the boss, the steel cold maiden who feared nothing and nobody. It was clear everyone held her in a high regard, it was impossibly hard for Stefan to measure up. Between trying to do all of the boss tasks, his lawyer tasks, juggling the impending war, and trying to earn the respect he was overwhelmed. His mother was always pushing for him to serve the Ivanov's and she was a seasoned lawyer, she was quick to offer her assistance and Stefan was even quicker to let her.

But, besides that, that was all Stefan was up to. No matter how much he reached out to Zofia to comfort her she left him on read, and then finally stopped reading his messages all together. He wanted to know how she was doing with Masha leaving, with the bar closing. He missed her, she had quickly turned into something that could light up his day. The church said she had moved out, he could never catch her at the bar (soon she quit the bar) and he wasn't able to go out on his own to look for her. It was like she dropped off of the face of the earth and it broke the already stressed out man.

"Hey, can I get a scotch?" Stefan gave a long sigh as he walked into the bar and took off his hat, his hair tied up into a bun underneath. His appearance was slightly disheveled with the wrinkles in his sweater and pants, he didn't even look at the bartender as he walked in. Quickly he B lined to the bar and took the seat, thankful for the first time in weeks he was able to get out. It was then as he sat down he noticed Zofia, and his heart completely melted. He gave an honest and warm smile, though it fell as he noticed her holding the ice. "Are-are you okay? I mean, great to see you, but are you hurt?" If someone had hurt her then he'd learn real quick about the intimidation and torture tactic.

 

[EclipseRosee]

Mikhail Sommers

“This is just all ridiculous.” Mikhail quickly waved off Nicholai agreeing with him. Again he knew he had, but he was still annoyed with the whole thing. Thankfully it was finally time to get off this god forsaken plane and get back to their normal lives. He stood from his seat and shot a look over to Nicholai as he told him to take a chill pill, though ultimately he decided to simply roll his eyes and walk away. The car was being loaded with their luggage and the small group loaded in as well to get headed to their destinations.

It didn’t take long for them to all get home. Mikhail was thankful that Katya and Aleksi didn’t put up too much of a fight when they were separated and once they were finally back to the manor he felt like he could relax a bit again. At least for a few moments before he was very quickly reminded of how bad things were getting in town for them. It didn’t help much than the men seemed to be a bit more unruly than they normally were … and Stefan was no where to be found despite being the stand in leader. Things would have to get back into shape here… and fast.

Mikhail got back into the swing of things quicker than Katya. She seemed still caught up on what was going on with Masha as well as Aleksi and all of the happenings with his family. He understood but, now wasn’t the time to be distracted. Sure the police were backing down a bit now that news was spreading that the two of them were back in their rightful places. But something was off, it was clear things weren’t going to go back to the way they were. It made him uneasy.

It was about a week later when they were all able to meet up again. Annabella and Masha agreed to come home in order to attend the funeral and it seemed Katya intended to try and convince them both to stay. That meant also getting Zofia to come and see Masha… which was harder than it sounded. Mikhail hated putting energy into this sort of thing but he knew if he didn’t Katya would not only be sad but distracted. Aleksi’s father had funeral arrangements set for a week after his passing, Stefan, Katya and himself would be attending as family friends and as representatives from the Ivanov family. Masha and Annabella were invited as well. Zofia was asked to attend but expressed she was unable… but Mikhail pulled some strings and had Aleksi convince her to meet them after the services.

“Again Aleksi, I’m sorry for your loss.” Mikhail spoke sternly as he placed the tray of drinks from the bar onto the table at their corner booth before taking a seat and grabbing a beer from the stock pile. “I didn’t know the man well but I know it’s hard to lose family. No matter what.”

 

[KAYDEN]

Aleksi Petrov

Running off with Katya was one of the best choices that Aleksi had ever made in his life. When she reached out to him that night at first he thought he was dreaming, but the moment he realized differently he quickly packed a bag and was out the door. His mistake was stopping to tell Nicholai, it felt wrong to leave without explaining and he knew the man would worry. What he didn’t think was that he would go with, though in the end it was probably for the best since Mikhail tailed Katya along as well. Either way this was good. They could finally be themselves! They could do what they wanted without the judgement of their families, they could
try to be happy. And for a while they were.

For a while.

Knowing that his father was dead was strange. They weren’t close. They didn’t get along. He wasn’t a nice man. But he was his dad, he was a respectable man despite his old way of thinking. It also didn’t help that Aleksi felt the heavy weight of guilt on his shoulders. He knew how bad his fathers health was, but he never imagined he would pass while they were away…

Besides him Katya moved slightly and shortly after her fingers laced through his causing him to give her a slight smile. “I’m okay. I’ll feel better about everything once I talk to my mom I think…”

-

Oh how WRONG he was. The moment Aleksi got home he was BERATED and screamed at. His mother was hysterical after losing her husband and down right pissed that Aleksi chose to run off. Not only was she pissed… she was scared. Though Aleksi didn’t learn about that until the day before the funeral.

In his fathers will, there was a very specific clause left behind presumably to assure Aleksi stayed in line. He had to marry a woman of his choosing from a list he had prepared in his will. They were all women somehow related to the family or other affluent groups within the city. None of them Katya. Clearly. If turning it away only affected himself… he would walk away without question. But if Aleksi didn’t marry and take over, the money and the house all went to the men. Not his mother. They would have to trust that they would still support her but… he didn’t see that happening.

So his mother picked one of the girls from the list, one that she knew fairly well and was friends with her mother and asked them to attend the funeral with Aleksi. As his new fiancé. As if the funeral wasn’t hard enough, Aleksi how had to sit with some woman he was supposed to marry while the woman he actually loved sat a few rows back. It sure as hell didn’t help that Aleksi had no clue how to tell her! Or the time. Thankfully Nicholai agreed to run interference for the day until they could get away from the family and meet the others at the bar.

“Thanks Mikhail. I’m still not really sure how I feel about it all.” Aleksi sighed and took a drink before resting his head on the back of the booth. They should have never come home.

 

[ZombieBaee]

Masha

“I got mail?” Who would send her anything? Who even knew they were here? Masha wiped her hands off on her apron before taking the letter that Annabella held out to her with a raised brow. It didn’t take long to realize it was from someone within the Ivanov family from the seal on the letter, and the usage of Masha’s alias on the envelope made her fairly sure it was Katya. “I didn’t know she knew exactly where we were.” She leaned against the counter as she carefully opened the letter and began to read out the contents to herself quietly.

“Aleksi’s dad passed. And Katya shut down the church, at least in the city for now.” Both things made her heart hurt. Masha felt terrible for Aleksi but also upset that the church was under mafia control. She understood that whatever was happening there was wrong but still, this felt wrong in another way. “They want us to go to the funeral.” The idea of returning made her uncomfortable but how could she say no? Technically she was safe and while she wasn’t super close with Aleksi, she wanted to be there for her sister and the rest of their strange friend group.

It took about a week to get back to town, it required some planning and configuring on Annabella’s part and Masha refused to walk out on the lovely people offering to let them work without finishing out the week at least. When they returned to town Masha and Annabella returned to the Ivanov estate in time to get ready for the funeral and catch a ride there with Mikhail and Katya. That was also when she was informed that Zofia wouldn’t be coming until after the service. That fact kind of helped calm Masha’s nerves a bit… she was sure Zofia was insanely upset with her for leaving without saying anything. That and going silent for a year…

“Do you know when she will be here?” Masha spoke quietly to Annabella as the two sat in the booth and Masha fidgeted nervously with the hem of her dress. “Maybe we should go… let them all have a good night without bothering them yeah?”

 

[ZombieBaee]

Zofia Smith

“S-Stefan!” Zofia exclaimed, jumping slightly when she saw him and causing herself to wince once more in pain. “N-No I’m fine really! How about you? I haven’t seen you in a while.” Nice small talk Zofia, not awkward at all. You’ve slept with this man and you’re talking to him like an old woman. Her shock made it hard to think, she hadn’t had a run in with any of the others in a year now and of course it had to be Stefan that she saw. He tried to keep in touch with her, tried to talk and meet up. It was Zofia that shut him out and she shut him out hard. It wasn’t him… he was amazing. It was her, she lost so much of herself in a 24 hour period. The church, her first love and her best friend? Gone. She was left a shell of a person and had to be on her own.

Zofia and Stefan talked for a while. She blamed her injuries and pain on a job at a gym that didn’t actually exist and she was fairly sure Stefan didn’t buy it but at least he didn’t push any further.

A few days later she heard the news about Aleksi’s father and was invited to the funeral. Zofia had a big match right at the same time so there was no way for her to make it on time, even if she didn’t feel insanely uncomfortable doing so. But after a lot of whining from Aleksi, and a beg from Nicholai, she finally agreed to at least meet with them for drinks after the service.

After her match Zofia got a ride to the bar with her manager, they didn’t talk much but he simply dropped her off with her half of the money and told her not to call for a ride home. Zofia simply rolled her eyes and grabbed her bag to make her way into the bar. She didn’t look great, she was in a old black hoodie and a pair of green and black capri leggings. Her hair was wet from her shower and tied into a bun on the top of her head. She definitely didn’t fit in with the group she was meeting who was already sitting in the corner in their dress clothes.

Zofia made her way to them and as she did her jaw nearly dropped when she saw Masha sitting amongst them. “Masha?! Why didn’t you tell me you were home?” She wanted to cry. Hug her. Scream at her. None of which was appropriate considering they all just came from a funeral but hell Zofia was just so fucking shocked she couldn’t ignore it.

 

[Pax Pardus Hale]

Katya Ivanov

Guilt was never a thing that Katya felt. Truth be told she thought that it was just a made up emotion. As Aleksi parted from the car she felt a tinge of guilt for taking him away for the year. They both had a great time, but at what cost? Aleksi never got to say goodbye to Katya. While he was never as close as Katya was to her father, she understood that feeling. Her father passed suddenly in his sleep, she never was able to say goodbye either. That was a feeling she never wished upon anyone, especially someone she held so dear.

Stefan was clearly not built for leadership, he was at a bar getting drunk avoiding his duties while his mother of all people was busy doing his job. She knew never to leave the family in his hands again. But between getting the family organized, letting the police know that she was back and she wasn't going to take their shit anymore, and being caught up in her feelings over Aleksi and Masha she found herself distracted. Thankfully Mikhail was always her voice of reason and was able to get her back on track. She'd get there, she was just getting back into the swing of things.

During the week she occasionally tried to check in on Aleksi. Obviously she didn't text anything that would out their relationship, Aleksi had been a dear friend to her since she was small and it wasn't out of character for her to check up on him. Especially with the funeral right around the corner. Aleksi's responses were always playful, funny, just typical Aleksi. His responses however were a bit... lacking? Like he didn't want to talk to her? She brushed it off, said that it was because he was busy and that was all. Thankfully Masha and Annabella were coming home and she knew she'd be able to get the chance to convince them to stay. Mikhail surprisingly was able to get Zofia to meet them after the service, so that would be good to the girls.

"My condolences, Petrov." At the funeral for her father Aleksi was an integral part of cheering her up. He brought flowers, he was thoughtful, he was there for her. Katya wanted to be there for him like that, she sent flowers and she showed up to show that she cared for their family still. It felt as if Aleksi didn't even want her there, she wasn't able to comfort him at all. In fact she felt rather shitty about even showing up. All Nicholai did was keep the two apart! Part of her was pissed off, part of her was sad, but most of all she felt guilty. Maybe he resented her now?

And don't think she didn't notice that girl that was hanging on his side. Mikhail always said he'd replace her and she always waved him off. Aleksi wouldn't do that to her. She still held firm in her believes but...she had an uneasy feeling about everything that was happening. "You will not be leaving, you two need to see each other again." Katya took a sip of her beer as she eavesdropped on Masha whispering to Annabella, making a slightly sour face as she did so. Usually Katya didn't drink, but with all of the stress going on in her life right now she needed it.

 

[Pax Pardus Hale]

Annabella

Finding out that Aleksi's father died and the whole church thing was rather shocking. Thankfully Masha agreed to go home, just for a bit, so long as they finished up the week at the bakery. So, after the of working and planning the trip they were finally back at the Ivanov residence, thankfully just in time to get ready for the funeral. It was sad preparing for another funeral and it gave her flashbacks to when they held her fathers service. The heavy emotions, being all alone to process it. Thankfully everyone seemed to ban together to be there for Katya, and they were doing exactly the same for Aleski. Hopefully without all of the drama.

Ah, who was she kidding. Of course there would be drama. As soon as they mentioned Zofia would be joining after the service she could tell Masha was freaking out. Zofia was her best friend in the whole world and it broke her heart to see the two not speak. It had given Masha time to find herself and discover new things about herself, but at the same time she knew she was just burying feelings down that she should be addressing. Now she was going to be forced to face the drama. All Anna could do was be there, offer her support.

Why was the funeral so awkward? She understood that they were just guests there to extend their condolences, but if Aleksi was the new Don shouldn't they have done so to him and not Nicholai? Anna completely understood guard duty, but...Katya was there at the funeral and spoke to everyone. Aleksi didn't seem to notice them. Rude funeral etiquette but everyone processed things differently. "When I lost my father I was a wreck, it's so surprising to see that you two were so composed at your fathers' service." Anna finished off another beer before setting it at the end of the bar, perking up slightly as Zofia walked in.

"Now now, we're going to stay and face the music. You can't run away forever, babe." Anna wrapped her arm around Masha's shoulder and gave her a comforting squeeze, her other hand giving a quick wave to Zofia. "Hey girl! We actually just got in town today." Was it her or did Zofia look kind of rough. "Long day? Want a drink?" Anna handed Zofia a drink before handing Masha another drink. They were going to need more booze to go about this discussion.

 

[Colt Voltage]

Nicholai Petrov

He fucking knew this was a bad idea. After getting home and finding out the entire situation Nicholai insisted Aleksi just drop the relationship with Katya. All it did was complicate things, it would just confuse Aleksi like it did time and time before. He'd lose the family, his mother would lose the family, they'd all lose their place in the world! Would it suck to just bite the bullet and marry the clingy rich girl? Yes, it would. But Aleksi would be able to keep his place as head of the family.

As usual though Aleksi didn't listen to the voice of reason. Instead of turning away the Ivanov's he insisted they should be allowed to show to the funeral, he had some big plan with Katya and Mikhail to get Masha and Zofia to meet after all this time. He understood the reasoning, but deep down inside he was sure it was just another excuse to see Katya again. Only, he really couldn't see her. His fiance was in attendance. He saw the boss was stressed and Nicholai took one for the team and played interception all fucking funeral long, making sure to keep Katya and her crew far away from Aleksi. He could see the irritation on Kat's face but she was just going to have to get the fuck over it.

"You know you have to tell her and break it off with her, right?" Nicholai quietly muttered to Aleksi before he took a long drink of his whiskey. They were sitting there at the table post funeral but there was no better time than the present. Drop her now, get on with your life. He knew Aleksi better than that though, he knew he wouldn't. Not unless he made him feel really bad about it. "She isn't an option anymore. Stringing her along is just going to hurt both of you more the longer it goes on." It was rough on Nicholai, he wanted the two of them two work out. Being near Mikhail for such an extended amount of time made him remember how Nicholai felt about him. He didn't want to lose Mikhail again, and he didn’t want to see Aleksi miserable. That was just the way things had to be if Aleksi wanted to stay the head of the family.

Soon Zofia was joining them and he gave her a small wave. Her outfit was interesting, but he assumed she just came from a gym or something?

 

[Sir Damien]

Stefan

Surely Zofia didn’t think he was that foolish to believe the pain was from her “gym” job, right? He was a lawyer, a damn good one. Seeing through peoples bullshit was half of his job. If he pushed her too hard though she’d disappear again and that was the last thing he wanted…so he played along, entertaining the story so he could sit and talk to her. He didn’t think he missed talking to her so bad, but as the conversation progressed he just remembered all the long talks they would have. From her being his bartender, them locked in the manor together, their short but amazing confusing relationship…he wanted her back. He didn’t want to lose her again.

After some time their conversation came to a stop; Katya had texted him ordering him home. He paid for their drinks and went on his way to find that Mikhail and Katya had returned. She assumed her duties once more, started getting the family back in order, and let Stefan take a breath for a minute. He tried to dismiss his mother but for some reason the woman insisted on staying and helping, just for a bit longer she said. So he stayed.

The funeral for Aleksi’s father was far more tense than Katya’s fathers was. From the sounds of it Aleksi’s father was a stern man, more so than their recently deceased Don, so it was understandable why no one wanted them there. Katya insisted though, she wanted Aleksi and his family to know that they respected them. With the way Aleksi avoided them and the way his mother glared at them though, it didn’t seem the respect was mutual.

Finally the funeral ended and they all migrated to the bar. There was word Zofia would show and that was really the whole reason he stayed; the funeral exhausted him and he was still stressed about the years worth of paperwork piled in his office he had been avoiding. Stefan had never lost anyone, his mother said his father died Before he was born. Katyas father and him were never close by any means so he didn’t feel anything when he passed. It was hard showing sympathy for something like this…maybe it was a good thing he wasn’t the boss anymore. “You’ve got quite the crew here for you Aleksi, I didn’t know your father but I know you’re a good guy. I’m sorry for your loss.”

As Stefan took a long drink of his scotch his blue eyes landed on Zofia as she entered. She looked rough to say the least, and he wanted to know what was going on immediately. He quickly bit his lip though and took another long sip. She needed to have time to address her best friend and then maybe they could talk a little.

Stefan was going to find out what was happening with her tonight, that much he was sure of.

 

[ZombieBaee]

Masha

Masha couldn't help but cower down lightly as Katya lightly scolded her for mentioning leaving. So far seeing everyone again had been great even if slightly awkward but she had to imagine that Zofia would be pissed. It was very rare that the two of them ever got mad at each other but yet again they never ghosted one another either. It wasn't that it didn't kill Masha to be away from Zofia but, she couldnt stay here after everything that had happened and it felt like asking Zofia to go with her was robbing her of her chance at a normal life. Zofia wasn't wrapped up in all this family bullshit, Masha was.

Besides her Annabella wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close for a reassuring squeeze. Masha felt her cheeks go bright red and her heart thump slightly at the word babe. This had happened a few times over the past year with Annabella, it made Masha feel uneasy. The two of them had become close friends over the last year and Masha certainly respected and admired Annabella, she was an amazing person, kind, brave, beautiful... But that was it! Just friends! Nothing more because anything more than that would have been outright confusing!

Thankfully the little voice in her head that was panicking over Annabella was able to switch back to panicking over Zofia when she heard her best friends voice across the table. Masha perked up a bit and looked over at her and let out a gasp on accident as the others greeted her. What was going on with her? Did she get into another fight? It had been years since Zofia had those types of bruises, at least years since Masha last had known about them. "R-Right, what Annabella said. We just got in for the funeral." She swallowed hard and tried her best to give her friend a smile but she was worried. Worried about her being angry and worried about whatever was clearly going on with her. Masha made her way out of the booth they were sitting in to stand up and give Zofia a big hug. She felt thinner. She winced when Masha held her. It all made Masha tear up a bit, what happened when she left? Was this her fault. "I missed you so much, I am so sorry I left you."

 

[ZombieBaee]

Zofia Smith

This was a bad idea but there was no backing out now. Zofia knew she looked rough, there was no denying that. When you had that in addition to seeing your ex-boyfriend, your ex whatever Stefan was and your best friend who had been missing for a year? It was not the making of a very good night. A few of the group gave her a small wave but Annabella was the first to speak up, Zofia gave her a slight chuckle and a head nod. "Rough day indeed. My new job is a bit more hands on than I bargained for. Gym equipment is quite heavy." Technically neither of those statements were a lie. Right? Zofia gave quick hellos to the others before her eyes lingered on Aleksi for a moment. "Sorry for your loss Aleksi, I know you and him had your moments but it still sucks right?" She had never been great with words but thankfully most of the others were aware of that fact.

Shortly after Zofia arrived Masha slid out of the booth and was pulling her into a tight hug, one that made Zofia let out a wince of pain that she quickly tried to cover with a cough before hugging her friend back. In typical Masha fashion within seconds the small girl was crying and Zofia couldn't help but let out a chuckle. "I'm just glad to see you're safe okay? Now let's all sit down and catch up with some drinks yeah?"

Zofia took her seat and everyone began catching up while they drank. Masha told her all about her trips with Annabella and Zofia listened, she also explained her reason for leaving which Zofia was able to understand but she still wished she had gone about it all differently, at the very least they could have been in contact with eachother somehow. Zofia shared with the others the same story she had fed Stefan about her job at a gym and how it beat her up pretty regularly. Thankfully since everyone had been drinking it seemed like they believed it for now.

"Jesus there is no way I'll get a cab, its so fucking late." Everyone was tipsy. It had been hours of them sitting there and now the bar was empty except for them, the bartender leaving them with the keys out of trust for Zofia and knowing the Petrov and Ivanov clans could handle any bar tab they might rack up.

 

[EclipseRosee]

Mikhail Summers

See? Mikhail said going to this funeral was a bad idea, if they had been simply going to pay their respects and leave that was one thing but they stayed for the entire service and now were even going out for drinks after the fact with the others. He knew the second part was mostly because Katya wanted Zofia and Masha to meet up but still! Something was also clearly bothering Katya. The entire service Nicholai had spent keeping Katya and Mikhail away from Aleksi and his mother at the front of the Church. It was all very strange, at least until Mikhail caught a glimpse of something. Something that must have been what Nicholai was trying to keep them from noticing. A woman, sitting at the front of the Church alongside Aleksi and his mother. A woman that when she got up to leave Mikhail noticed was wearing a very large diamond on her left ring finger.

They all went to the bar and Mikhail decided to pack away the thought about the woman until he was able to confront the Petrov's without Katya in earshot. It would fucking kill her.

The drinking began and shortly into it all Zofia showed up looking like one of his men after a long night out. Masha moved to welcome her and Mikhail took the chance to speak to Annabella for a moment. "You know when I said to watch the girl I didn't really mean to follow her around country to country right? Although I do think your devotion to the job is impressive. Good job Anna." With that they were all sitting around once more and the drinking started going faster as everyone caught up with one another.

At one point Mikhail excused himself to call the home and let them know they likely wouldn't return tonight and to not worry. He also asked that one of their couriers handled sending a car and making arraignments at a nearby hotel for all of them. At this point he didn't want any of them going home this drunk and embarrassing themselves or saying something they shouldn't. So when Zofia brought up that exact problem Mikhail stepped in with a rare smile for him, "We all have hotel reservations tonight at the Ritz, I didn't think any of us should be returning home in our states, I wouldn't want any one to slip up and say something they shouldn't and make anyone upset. Aleksi and Katya just got home recently and things are still a little strange in our home so I assume they are at the Petrov's as well. And it felt rude to leave you out Zofia so there."

Mikhail's phone dinged in his pocket, it was the driver letting him know that they were arriving with a car to take most of them and that another driver was close behind but got stuck at a train. Maybe this was his chance to ask Nicholai about the woman... "Speaking of, first car is here. Why don't all of you get going with Annabella and the driver and I'll stay back with Nicholai to close up the bar and pay our tab."

 

[KAYDEN]

Aleksi Petrov

It was almost like two people died that day. Well symbolically. Technically his father had passed away over a week ago and his own death occurred the day he got the news about his fiance from his mother. But today it felt real. His father was in the ground and Aleksi's freedom went right along with it. His entire life had been spent in small battles with his father but even in death it seemed like that man won the fucking war. Aleksi couldn't give a shit less about his money, his home, his title. However Aleksi did care for his mother and his men, his father knew that all too well and chose to make sure that he died with those things being placed in jeopardy for him. His mother wouldn't survive in any other hierarchy in the Petrov home, if Aleksi wasn't the leader she would have to move out of her room, people would treat her differently, she would lose the respect that others gave her outside of the manor. If the leadership and money got split amongst the men they might like it for a week or two but then things would go to fucking chaos when someone got greedy and they would lose everything they worked for. It was the perfect fucking way to ensure Aleksi did as he was told.

"Thank you everyone." Aleksi spoke plainly as he finished off his drink and quickly started on another. Across the table he could see that Katya seemed down. He wanted to talk to her right now, hold her and tell her everything that was going on. Apologize for letting her get close only for him to ruin it all because of his fucking family yet again. Katya would be hurt but she would understand, she knew how leadership worked. It was just hard to actually try and say it out loud. Zofia arrived and pulled everyone's attention for a moment, she looked bad. "Sucks is right Zo. Thanks for coming. Now sit and have a drink, you look like shit."

They all caught up and if they were all feeling like Aleksi did, they got rather drunk. So much so that Aleksi was barely sitting up in the booth, his head was resting against the back of the seat and he had finally call it quits on the alcohol when Mikhail spoke up about hotels. "Ooooo fancy pants." He slurred with a laugh, he felt like the room was spinning and his emotions were helllishly raw. "Wouldn't want me going home to mommy and telling her about meeting with you guys on the day of dads funeral. Hah. That might actually make her explode. God he hated you guys. I don't get it. Mikhail you-" He stopped to sit up and hold onto the table for balance, anything to try and get the room to stop moving. "You're not too bad." Aleksi started to hiccup. Thankfully Mikhail said the car was outside and that meant that Aleksi was one step closer to sleepy time. Only that required standing up and that was proving to be a lot harder than it sounded.

 

[Pax Pardus Hale]

Katya

As much as Katya denied it, as big of a cold bitch she was, she did have emotions. It was rare that they were shown but she did have them. She allowed herself to be true to herself and let herself fall for Aleksi. So, while she was a leader and she would understand, it would devastate her. Katya was scared to learn the truth. While she didn't intend to drink herself to a stupor she got lost in her thoughts, and she ended up drinking a few too many beers. So, when Mikhail said they'd be staying at the Ritz she sighed in relief. "I did not want to go home anyways, Stefan's mother has been absolutely a thorn in my side." That was a discussion Stefan, Mikhail, and Katya would have to have soon. The woman needed to go.

Katya slid out of the booth and looked over at Aleksi. He was...he was just a damn mess. His words were slurred, he was stumbling, and it was clear how fragile he was right now. It was a struggle to keep up her cool exterior as it was, seeing him like this made her heart hurt. "Oh dear, you're a mess." Katya gave him a small smile as she wrapped her arms around him. "Come along, Petrov. Let's get you out of here." She would only be addressing him as Petrov until he decided to be honest about what was happening. "Yes our fathers hated each other, but we're not them. Right? We can fix what they broke, it'll just take time." Uniting the families again was Katya's goal before she died, she had come to that conclusion when they were on their year long excursion. Aleksi seemed like he was on board before his father died, she hoped he still felt that way.

"Thank you Mikhail, Nicholai. I'll make sure he gets to his room safely." With that said she wrapped Aleksi's arm around his shoulder and had her arm around his waist to help support him. They made their way to the car and she assisted Aleksi inside, making sure he was buckled since he was so wobbly. Afterwards she climbed into the seat next to him, buckling herself in with a small sigh. "Here, drink." Katya opened a bottle of water and handed it to him. "You're going to have an awful headache in the morning if you don't."

 

[Pax Pardus Hale]

Annabella

It was so good to see Masha and Zofia hugging, to see them together warmed her heart. The whole year they were gone Anna could tell Zofia was on Masha's mind constantly, and no matter what Anna did she would never be a replacement for Zofia. That wasn't her aim, she went to support Masha no matter what happened. She went to give her backup, to look out for her. The world was big and scary and it was Masha's first time out, she didn't want anyone taking advantage of her kindness. "Aww, thanks boss! You said keep an eye on her, I was just doing my job." It felt good to be acknowledged by the head guard of the family. Weird, Annabella infiltrated this organization to research who killed her father. When she found out the person she was looking for wasn't there she should have left, but...something kept her around. There was nothing waiting for her in Italy anymore, and she kind of felt like everyone here was family. A dysfunctional one, but a family nonetheless.

As everyone settled into the booth to catch up they consumed far more liquor than they should have. Anna was always in guard duty however, so she drank one beer and called it good. She was just happy that Zofia and Masha were catching up. Although everyone was trying to have a good time she could still feel the tension in the air. Katya, Mikhail, and Nicholai seemed unusually grumpy (maybe it was normal, it had been a year since they were all together), and Aleksi seemed like something other than the death was bothering him. Zofia seemed like she was hiding something. It all got worse the more they drank.

"Oh? Hotel reservations? Great idea." Anna gave him a thankful nod of acknowledgement before she gathered her and Anna's things. "Come on my dear ladies, let's get you to the hotel and rested." With a warm smile she stood from the booth and offered her aide to Masha. She knew she didn't have to anymore, but... she wanted to? Was that odd? Anna had a soft spot in her heart for Masha; she knew most frowned upon the way she lived her life, but Annabella loved who she loved. Man, woman. It didn't matter to her. It was something that Masha would probably frown upon considering her religious affiliation so Anna kept it a secret. "Let's get to the car and we all can go to our rooms, get some much needed sleep."

 

[Sir Damien]

Stefan

There was no fucking way that Zofia worked in a gym. She had lost a noticeable amount of weight in the year, she seemed exhausted. She just looked fucking rough and he wasn't buying the whole gym job, no fucking way. But instead of saying anything he drank away his sorrows, just as Aleksi was doing. Must have been the theme for the night. "Oi, Katya, if you didn't leave me in charge of a fucking crime organization maybe I wouldn't have needed my mother to move in and help me. Maybe don't up and disappear again." His cheeks were flushed from the alcohol, groaning as Katya complained about his mother. It was still odd she was there, but he didn't think too much of it.

"A hotel does sound great. Just to be able to let down our guard for a minute and breath." He hoped that went for everyone. Zofia looked more stressed than he had ever seen her, and that was even after the whole Aleksi not returning her love scenario. Stefan followed Anna as she stood up, watching as she helped Masha to the car. Katya helped Aleksi, Nicholai and Mikhail were hanging back for a minute. That left him and Zofia essentially on their own, even if it was just for a minute.

"Are you okay to walk?" Though Stefan was drunk he was sure he wasn't on par with the girls. He gave Zofia a small smile as he offered her his hand, his arm, whatever she could have possibly needed to steady herself to make it to the car.

 

[Colt Voltage]

Nicholai Petrov

"Boss man, I told you not to drink too much." As Nicholai scolded Aleksi for probably the hundredth time today he just shook his head. From making sure he was being nice to his future bride, to making sure he kept his distance from Katya, and just trying to get him to cut things off if seemed like every word fell on deaf ears. Thankfully Mikhail had thought ahead and called in some rooms. It helped for the night, but for the long run? Everyone was still in deep shit. And what was this about the two of them? Oh, shit. Nicholai started to sweat. Mikhail knew and he was going to try and confront Nicholai about that. "No, no, I'm sure Anna would rather stay here and-" shit. Annabella was already off with Masha, Aleksi was practically being carried as Katya. Zofia and Stefan left and that just left the two of them in the bar.

"I'm not fucking saying a goddamn word, don't think your slick." Thankfully Nicholai didn't drink to the point where he had lost his wits. "I know what sneaky shit you're up to, trying to figure out who the girl was. Am I right?" As Nicholai busied himself with cleaning up all the glasses, bottles, and the table he kept a stern face on. Mikhail had always thought negatively about Aleksi and, yeah, he was a bit of a flirt. But this time Aleksi was being forced into it, he didn't want to break Katya's heart. He just...kind of had to?

Inside it was eating Nicholai up though. If Katya and Aleksi could have reunited the family then he'd be around Mikhail more. Vacation was a dream, it was like when they were younger...but all dreams had to come to an end. As much as Nicholai wanted a future with Mikhail he knew it was impossible now. Neither were going to leave their family, and if they were too busy scolding their bosses to avoid each other then they'd never see each other. It was a lose lose situation. "Just know that I am sorry, I feel bad but there's literally nothing we can do now. They had their last hurrah, now they have to return to the real world. We all do." The words were almost painful to say, but it was true. He knew it, the bosses knew it, and Mikhail knew it too.

 

[KAYDEN]

Aleksi Petrov

“T-sam not.” Aleksi slurred as he spoke, honestly at this point he was nearly incoherent. Tomorrow he would surely be insaney embarrassed of the way he was acting in front of the others, especially Katya. That and he would be in for one hell of a hangover as well. Katya helped him stand up as straight as possible for him at the moment while Nicholai chose to scold him again, an action that only gained a middle finger in response from Aleksi as he stumbled forward towards the door.

As they walked Katya began speaking and Aleksi felt himself getting more and more upset. They weren’t their fathers no, but that didn’t mean everything was going to change. He was naive to have ever thought he could change things around here… Just because he didn’t like the rules their families had set forth didn’t mean the other members of the family were just going to jump on the bandwagon with him. That was abundantly clear from the threat that his father left behind. “That man will have his hands around my neck until the day I die.” It was cryptic, yes but it felt so true. “Even six feet under the old man is still calling the shots.”

Aleksi wanted to tell Katya what had happened in the will but he didn’t know how to make the words leave his mouth. They loaded into the car and Aleksi simply sat in silence as he stared at her, watching her buckle him in and get him seated, handing him water and smiling at him despite the mess he was. “Trust me I’m going to have a headache indefinitely now I think.” He took the bottle from her, taking a long drink before taking the lid from her and closing it. “Kat I hate this.”

“They’re making me get married.” Aleksi suddenly blurted, still slurring his words slightly. He dropped his head onto the back of the seat with a loud groan. “I wanted to explain this so much better but I can’t. Not because of the drinking either, just because it is so absolutely insane.”

 

[ZombieBaee]

Masha Ivanov

Zofia wasn’t mad. That was enough to make Masha nearly start crying all over again, she was sure that Zofia would be so angry with her, honestly she wouldn't have blamed her. But it was such a relief that they were okay, a bit awkward, but okay. Masha wasn’t so sure that she trusted Zofia’s story about working at a gym but now wasn’t the time to push it, she would at least give it the night before drilling into the issue.

The night went on with everyone getting more and more tipsy and therefore more and more comfortable with one another again. Masha herself had probably had 1 too many, literally probably 1, she was quite the lightweight compared to the others in this crew. That meant that when it was finally time to leave, Masha was nearly napping in the booth, her legs curled up on the seat with her and her head tucked to the side resting on the back of the booth. It wasn’t until Annabella moved besides her to stand that she actually stirred a bit, her wide eyes opening and looking up at the woman who held out her hand towards her.

Maybe it was the drinking, or that she had just woken up, but the image made Masha’s heart flutter and her face turn pink. “S-Sorry what’s going on?” Then she heard the word car and Masha’s brain caught up to speed. “Oh w-we’re leaving. Okay!” She yawned and scooted forward in the booth until she was at the edge, then taking Annabella’s hand to help herself up.

It seemed like everyone but the two main guards were heading towards the car together causing Masha to chime in sleepily. “Wait where are we all going?” She took Annabella’s offered help once again as they climbed into the car. Apparently they were all going to a hotel rather than the manor, Masha was quite thankful for that, she wasn’t quite sure if she wanted to be back there right now… or again. If she was being honest, being home made her realize just how much she really missed it all and she didn’t know if she had the strength to leave again. But she also wasn’t sure if she had the strength to go back either.