facades

she hadn’t suspected a thing. maybe she should have, given the countless warnings she had heard about roman yurivic. she definitely should have, given the sight in front of her. “what the hell, roman?” the volume of her voice was loud enough that it would probably detangle him from the leggy brunette. “who is that?”

the utter glee in her tone is so palpable, he’s defenseless against the boyish smile that creeps onto his face. “ well that depends on what you remember, ” he’s deflecting, again. “ anyway, make sure you have white tea imported before you have her over. don’t insult her by asking if she wants sugar — she doesn’t. ”

the corners of his lips curl into a smirk, but he refuses to give her the satisfaction of the ‘ yes ‘ she desires. “ have you ? she’s expecting an invitation for tea, you know ? ”

“my family, but especially gavril. that’s what happens after spending eighteen years with someone.”

“i remember lesya gushing over a certain fellow named niall a few years ago and i think it had something to do with this band? i don’t have a personal opinion so i might as well share my daughter’s.”

he takes a generous sip of her own drink before he’s willing to speak, “ hey, she’ll be okay. lenya is tough. ” equally as a reassurance for himself as it is for his sister. his hand rests on her knee, attempting to provide her with a little comfort, though the light chuckle he forces doesn’t sound nearly as convincing as he’d hoped it would. “ lesya was the most stressful. it’s normal to worry. ”

“ i think she worried more than i did. i can hardly blame her. ” the situations were different, between ekaterina’s birth, and kseniya’s, but the similarities that did occur were almost too close for comfort. but it was all worth it in the end. “ i debated it, and yes, she’s going to be a romanov. she hardly counts as pyotr’s daughter. ” she didn’t count at all, considering she wasn’t even remotely biologically related to him, and thank god for that. “ the only baby i can remember being this small was alyona, but i think that has more to do with the fact that i was just so fascinated by her. but katya… she’s tiny. ”

it’s what y’all have been waiting for ... the results of THE IRINA TEST, ayo’s coronation-edition

his jaw had been clenched shut since the second the news had reached him. a celebration was hardly the place for kostya to be recoiled in a vacant corner, but his mind was clearly elsewhere, as was irina’s. the expression changes to one that resembles a smile for a fraction of a second as the waiter hands him the two drinks. “ she’ll be fine, irina. ” her words are far from reassuring, and they both need a drink. 

“ please, sit. do you want some tea ? ” her teacup sat in front of her, cooling down without her taking even a sip. she hadn’t been able to do anything except stare at her daughter in complete and utter rapture. “ it went well enough, it was quick, i started having pains last night and i was about to get ready when everything happened. kseniya was here in her gown. ” only her child would be greeted by her aunt and father in full formal regalia, it was certainly dramatic enough. “ ekaterina viktoria. for my mother, viktoria is a family name. ” milena shifted katya’s small body so she could offer irinka a hold, something she knew her cousin would be dying to do. “ she’s very insistent on attention being paid to her already, though i don’t think she’ll find herself lacking with all of us around her. ”