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Her Flat Owned by: Aleksandra & Timofei
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The Flat
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 Did Tomya only move in because Aleks begged and pleaded? Yes. Has she made the most of it? Yes. The flat is under her name in central London, funded by her lucrative career as a Michelin star chef, but they've both made a home of it. It's elegant but still has the homely touch Aleks had longed for, and all in all, it has everything they need on a day-to-day basis. Aleks isn't really sure if Tomya will stay with her after he graduates, but she isn't thinking about that too much. Surely he wouldn't abandon her now, right? |
Roleplay[]
「 Julian Ritchard 」Lovable Idiot • Amateur Chef • Father of two
twenty eight
wizard
tbp member
Single
It had taken him a small moment to gather the courage to visit Aleks. Aleksandra. It was a pretty name. He didn't remember...well, anything from his time. Fuzzy images here and there at best. But he remembered her voice, a sweet voice despite the harshness of Eastern Europe underlying it, and eventually he went to track her down. He considered going to the restaurant but he didn't want to make a public spectacle of this. Then he wondered where else? Fortunately, Tommy had a rather simple phone password. 1234. And he had his tracker on so maps told him everywhere Tommy had ever been the moment he stepped foot in England. Privacy was clearly not a concern of his. Fool. It had taken him an hour or so to cross off some locations but soon he was standing in front of an apartment door and he prayed that this was the right one. He had a bouquet of flowers in his hand, which he knew was rather corny but it was the least he could do, and it took him three minutes of standing there before he knocked on the door. He was dressed like he usually would. Julian, that is. Of course, this was a casual look for him. High waisted pants, a sparkling black button up shirt tucked in, though three buttons were undone, and black suspenders. His hair was still trying to settle down after his recent cut and was curling over his forehead and ears. This could go very badly or very well. He still wasn't sure how to explain what happened.
Message Me • {{{2}}}
「 Grand Duchess Aleksandra of Russia 」Runaway Princess
The day has gone by horribly for Aleks. She spent most of her morning on the bathroom floor, suffering from morning sickness, and the slightest attempt to do some chores around the flat landed her back on the ground, heaving as she unloads all the contents of her stomach from the past 24 hours into the toilet bowl. Tomya has been of no help even though she was the one to sign him out of Hogwarts grounds for the weekend. The one good thing he's done is fetch her cool towels and rub her back as she needs it. Even then, Aleks has sort of realized that this is all wrong. This — none of this — is right. She shouldn't be finding comfort in her cousin's back rubs. She shouldn't be looking towards a teenager for emotional stability when she's supposed to be the adult. She shouldn't be hiding behind Pietro or the might of the Italian Royal Family to fix the mistakes she made on her own. She shouldn't be relying on Vasya, because Merlin only knows her sister has her own problems to get through now. As pissed and hurt as she is, and as much as she resents Polina and her sister's marriage for everything it did to her, she's gone about it all the wrong way, and it's all left her seriously considering relocating to sunny California. Is it a coward's move? Honestly, maybe. But if she just abdicates and leaves... nothing is stopping her. Certainly not Tommy. It'll burn the few bridges she has left, but Aleks is already at rock bottom. It can't get any worse than this. Musing all this has helped quell her unsettled stomach, apparently, because she's regained enough strength to move over to the living room. She's just sitting down when — "Oh for Christ's sake," she mutters, sighing. "Tomya, can you —" Oh, right, he's cleaning. Aleks sighs again and, with some difficulty, stands back up, padding over to the door herself. Swinging it open, Aleks looks up and.... her jaw almost drops. Tommy?
Message Me • 00:07, 17 March 2021 (UTC)
「 Julian Ritchard 」Lovable Idiot • Amateur Chef • Father of two
twenty eight
wizard
tbp member
Single
Julian stared down at Aleks because...well, he didn't really realise she'd be that short...before he smiled, tentatively, and offered out the flowers. "I know this doesn't make up for anything and I know you might just want nothing to do with me but I got you these," he said. Whilst he looked vastly different to Tommy, he sounded differently too. More refined, each word was slowed down and never rushed. Tommy use to rush through his words and ramble. He looked older too. It was the eyes, they were narrower. Not as wide, not as bright, as Tommy was. One could even mistake him for Tommy's older brother. "I know I have a lot of explaining to do and I would appreciate it if you heard me out before slamming the door on my face," he said with a small grin but it melted off a moment later. "I know I probably don't have much ground to stand on in the first place but I promise this really wasn't a scenario that I had ever truly planned for and I would have liked to have met you in better circumstances." Julian's eyes briefly glanced behind (or above?) Aleks to look into the apartment, out of simple curiousity. He did see someone's jumper and mentally noted it down. A boyfriend of some sort? Julian wasn't sure what else he was expecting. Should he feel jealous? He barely remembered her enough to be jealous and it's been more than a month since she had seen whatever version of him. She had every right to have moved on. At least he can walk out knowing he had tried to make it right some way or another. Of course, there was the question of whether she'd even believe him. He knew the whole situation was rather outlandish.
Message Me • {{{2}}}
「 Grand Duchess Aleksandra of Russia 」Runaway Princess
Aleks doesn't know what to say. She doesn't know what to feel, what to think, what to do. She thought he was gone. He'd told her he was, for a lack of better words, unreachable, and Aleks had believed him. She'd taken his words at face value and she was looking at other options to raise this child — their child — without causing more trouble. And now here he is, with his unruly hair cut and clothes that are so incredibly unlike Tommy. Maybe she'd have confused him for a relative of his considering how... grown... he looks, but Aleks knows better. She admittedly hasn't known him for the eternity she feels like she has, but she'd recognize those soft green eyes anywhere. Not a night goes by where she doesn't dream about the what-if behind them. And now he's here, standing, breathing, holding flowers. "You left," she deadpans, unable to smile like he can. What should she even be asking? What are you doing here? Where have you been? Why are you coming back now? A part of her wonders if Vasya managed to track him down and send him. She wouldn't be surprised. Her sister works in mysterious ways. In the same breath, though, after their recent fight? She'd be surprised if she hadn't been written out of the line of succession already. "You left weeks ago." You left me pregnant and scared.
Message Me • 00:07, 17 March 2021 (UTC)
「 Julian Ritchard 」Lovable Idiot • Amateur Chef • Father of two
twenty eight
wizard
tbp member
Single
"I know," he said, softly, "I know I left but I promise I didn't mean to. But I'm back now and, if you'll have me, I would like to try all of this again. You had met me at a rather strange period of my life but everything's right now. Nothing like that will happen again. I don't...I don't quite like leaving something before the time is right and I'm inclined to believe we are not quite finished with each other." Call it a gut feeling. "In fact, I think I really should reintroduce myself but....would it be alright if I come in? Are you alone?" He prayed he didn't have to deal with a new boyfriend or something. That'll just be awkward. "I really am sorry and I promise I can make it up to you in any way that I possibly can." Of course, Julian didn't know about the baby yet which was why he was being so open to the possibility that Aleks will shut the door on his face. If he knew? Well, he might have just pushed her aside and walked right back into Aleks's life and made a cup of tea for himself. No-Julian wouldn't be going anywhere if he knew, even if Aleks screamed at him to leave. He'd rather wait until the baby is born and kidnap them than let himself have no part of his child's life.
Message Me • {{{2}}}
「 Grand Duchess Aleksandra of Russia 」Runaway Princess
"A rather strange period of your life?" Aleks can't help it; she scoffs and shakes her head. "Are you suddenly an all prim and proper Brit? Is that what's going on?" She's stubborn to the end, and it becomes very clear with the way her grip on the door tightens, knuckles turning white as she glares at him. "No, I am not alone. Whatever you want to say, you can say it out here." She doesn't want Tomya asking questions and mentioning Tommy to anyone. Not just that though; she knows if he walks into her living room, he'll be coming into her life again permanently, and she isn't so sure she wants to cave until she knows that he knows what he's going to walk into. She's suffered this loss once already. She refuses to suffer it again. "What do you want, Tommy?"
Message Me • 00:07, 17 March 2021 (UTC)
「 Julian Ritchard 」Lovable Idiot • Amateur Chef • Father of two
twenty eight
wizard
tbp member
Single
"I am," Julian said after a moment, "a prim and proper brit. I was raised in London, or just outside of it. My parents couldn't stand being in the same room together, let alone in a small house that plagues the city." This was a bad introduction into everything but he had to start somewhere. "What's going on is that what I'm trying to say is-I wasn't myself. When you met me. I had...selective amnesia." His tone was dry, flat, and if Aleks looked properly, she might have seen his right eyelid twitching. Julian was far from impressed on what had happened and, quite frankly, he wasn't sure if he was traumatised or embarrassed by the whole situation. "My name isn't Tommy. Not anymore. My real name's Julian. Julian Ritchard. Not that I knew this when I met you. I never lied to you about who I was. I very much believed everything I told you." Okay so he couldn't really stand by this considering he barely remembered but he knew the basics. He knew Tommy didn't lie. "What's going on is that I'm trying to explain that you hadn't met the, forgive me for sounding corny, real me. My proper identity. I know it sounds ridiculous and you're in no position to believe me, however, I would appreciate the chance to reintroduce myself. What I want is the chance to make things right or, at the very least, end us on a better note than we had before."
Message Me • {{{2}}}
「 Grand Duchess Aleksandra of Russia 」Runaway Princess
"Selective amnesia?" Aleks echoes, sounding skeptical. There's no way that's a thing. "Secret identity? Seriously? If you got cold feet and wanted to leave, then by all means, that was your right, as shitty as it was of you. I get it. We got pretty serious pretty fast, not knowing all that much about each other. But don't go around weaving together an unrealistic story like some false god because you can't hadle taking accountability." Tommy seems irritated, almost, and Aleks has never been one to mince her words — especially if she was both hurt and dealing with someone in an apparently sour mood. As he utters each word, she feels more and more compelled to uproot her life and become a single, American mother. Or Italian. She's still not sure, though raising an Italian man's child who's apparently rejecting his own culture with the King of Italy would be pretty ironic. "Is that all? If it is, I suggest you leave. I have company and it's rude to leave them unattended for too long." Thank Merlin for her cousin.
Message Me • 00:07, 17 March 2021 (UTC)
「 Julian Ritchard 」Lovable Idiot • Amateur Chef • Father of two
twenty eight
wizard
tbp member
Single
"I know it's hard to believe," he said, his voice certain and steady. Julian wasn't going to back down on this, nor was he going to let someone think he's a liar. "And I'm a lot of things but I don't pride myself on being a liar. If I wanted to give you a lie to let me back into your life, I would have come up with a better one. A far better one. I'm not enough of an idiot to think coming up with such an outrageous lie would have been the best route to go down on. Nor am I good enough of an actor to play off someone like Tommy." Admittedly, everything he's heard about Tommy is from Tessa and if he was a third party, he might have come to the conclusion that Tessa's account of Tommy is a little bit biased towards Julian. Aleks, funnily enough, might have given a more sympathetic account of him. "Give me a truth potion, or get me drunk enough, and I will be telling you the same story. Or a pensive, I can gain you access to one. Or do you know legilimency? You can go through my mind as much as you want." That was a risky promise. Tessa, he knew, would be infuriated if she found out he let a virtual stranger go through his mind. However, he wasn't sure why, but he trusted her. Aleks. He didn't remember her but something in him told him he could trust her with his life-and he's never been the most trusting person. "Did Tommy ever tell you? About his parents? Any siblings? What it was like growing up in Italy?" He asked, tilting his head. "Anything more besides reciting facts like it's a wikipedia page."
Message Me • {{{2}}}
「 Grand Duchess Aleksandra of Russia 」Runaway Princess
"I thought you didn't pride yourself on leaving without warning either, and here we are. Not only did you leave me alone to clean up our mess, you also fucked me over professionally. The kitchen was a mess that entire week after you left because we were short-staffed on a holiday week. But obviously, expecting professionalism from my hires was too much, too." She knows objectively she should dial back the hostility, but him still standing there pisses her off. The way he feels entitled to forgiveness grates on her nerves, and she wants nothing more than to curl up in her bed for the next few months. She's already made her feelings on him and whatever they had abundantly clear. He got his closure and can leave her alone, as far as she's aware. "Even if you were somehow telling me the truth, the time has come and gone. I have other priorities now and frankly, getting into a relationship with the — with you — doesn't even cut the top twenties list. So please, I need you to stop."
Message Me • 00:07, 17 March 2021 (UTC)
「 Julian Ritchard 」Lovable Idiot • Amateur Chef • Father of two
twenty eight
wizard
tbp member
Single
"I didn't exactly leave willingly, I was kept locked up in a house," Julian pointed out, "and I am sorry you were left short staffed but....sometimes, things are out of one's control. And finding out I was taken from my family, without my consent, rather...well, I wasn't in a good headspace and I, if I was in a position to do so, probably would have been more detrimental to your workspace." Julian rubbed the back of his neck. He wasn't angry, irritated at most, but he wasn't letting himself show it. He knew he wasn't entitled to her forgiveness, nor was he asking for it, he was asking for a chance. Of course, Julian wasn’t a fool. Some might call him a himbo-but in truth? He wasn’t. He was just silent about what he saw. And something about this was striking him odd, like there was something missing. Like there was something else he wasn’t aware of. "I'm sorry I didn't give you a warning, but I wasn't exactly given a warning either. I was jumped on the street. They didn't give me a chance to run in and tell you I won't be around." He was going off the run down but he was pretty sure Henri wouldn’t have let him go tell anyone what was happening. Julian hesitated before pulling out his wallet. "Look, look, I have evidence. Sort of. See?" He pulled out a photograph of him, Tessa, and the twins. They look around one in the image. On the back was a handwritten Julian, Tessa, Fabian, Claire c.2040. Julian was going to bring them up eventually but if he was putting all his cards on the table, maybe she’d appreciate it. Genuine honesty. "Those are...those are my kids and my baby mother. We're not together or anything like that, just friends. But if I really was Tommy, who thought he was twenty three, I should have been seventeen in that." It was pretty clear that, whilst he looked younger than he does now, he wasn't a teenager. Maybe-but it was a certain stretch. "I don't pride myself on walking out on anyone, you're right. And...I know that, whilst it wasn't in my control to be able to come back to you, it wouldn't be nice to have been left in that position. And I am really sorry it happened, I didn’t ever intend to hurt you in my own mess but I am trying to hold myself accountable for my mistakes.” Whilst he wasn’t Tommy, he kind of was, and whatever mistake Tommy made was Julian’s responsibility. “And I’m doing the first moment that I could. Life is weird and you can’t prepare for it. I'm not asking for you to forgive me, I'm asking for a chance. A leap of faith. Even if we're just friends. I came here as soon as I could. If you really...really want me to leave, I can. I won't pressure you or bother you anymore but...but...I was all alone and vulnerable and you were all that I had. I remember feeling safe with you, happy, and I haven’t felt that in a long time. So I just...I just wanted to see if there was a way that I could make it up to you. To thank you. But if it’s to leave you alone, then I’ll respect that. I wish you all the happiness of the world.” Julian took in a deep breath. "At least take these." He offered out the flowers again. He had put in something else in there. Of course, if he knew she was pregnant then this would have gone differently. Julian had devoted his life to his children, all of his children, and simply the idea of not being there for any of them, or if god forbid they got hurt, was enough to send him into an anxiety attack. One of the worst parts of this entire situation was that he didn’t know who did it-who took him away from his children. He didn’t know who to hunt down. He never entertained his dark side for long, if you can call it that, but removing his children was a sure fire way to trigger it.He’d never murdered anyone but he knew he had it in him. In fact, he could already see what he would do the moment he finds them. Or maybe he’ll give Tessa an early Christmas gift. Let her deal with the person who caused her so much grief over the past six months. Of course, he wouldn’t hurt Aleks. Even if she took that choice away from him, went out of her way to barr him from that babies life, he wouldn’t hurt her. It’d just feel like someone would be digging a hundred knives into his chest. Then he’d kidnap the baby. Maybe. Sue for custody? He wasn’t sure. However, he knew he’d burn the world down to make sure he was there for his child.
Message Me • {{{2}}}
「 Grand Duchess Aleksandra of Russia 」Runaway Princess
Aleks still doesn't believe him, honest as he's trying to be with her. Aleks doesn't even spare a glance at the picture he's trying to shove into her hands, and completely skips over the whole 'I'm a dad' situation, because honestly? It can't be true. Look at him. He's probably barely older than she is, nevermind old enough to be a dad. The whole 'I wasn't exactly given a warning either' comment irritates her even more than the fact that's he's so boldly lying to her, and suffice to say, Aleks is practicing a lot of self-control. Actually, scratch that, she's not. She doesn't owe Julian anything, so she does the one thing she can do: shut the door on his face. She refuses to engage with him anymore. Aleks turns, intending to hide in her room, but stops mid-step. Guilt kicked in remarkably fast. Like, record-breaking fast. You need to tell him you're pregnant. You can't ignore him or your pregnancy for long. Ah, the angel on her shoulder. But on the other hand, he's been nothing but a lying, horrible — And there's the devil. Just what Aleks needs: more conflict! She stalls for a moment, eyes narrowing as she glares at her reflection in the mirror hung on the wall adjacent to the front door. If you don't tell him and he finds out otherwise, you might end up sued for custody, and courts won't like a lying, sneaky mother. See, that's a tempting argument, but... If you pass the baby as Pietro's, you'll be fine. Aleks grits her teeth together. Another wave of nausea crashes into her and she swallows thickly, hand instinctively curling around her abdomen. Aleks...there'll be another solution that's not marrying a man who's never been able to handle a no! What if he wants custody of the kid, or at least some coparenting situation? Will he be signing the birth certificate? He'll be the legal father which means he will have as much say in that baby as you will. Wait. That's Vasya's voice. Aleks rolls her eyes. Of course her sister worms her way even into her internal monologues and arguments. You have distanced yourself so much from the royal family already. You've done everything out of the book, why would it matter if there's one more unconventional event? Also Vasilia. She hates to admit it, but she's starting to feel like her sister was onto a good point there. Irritated with herself, with her sister, and just the shitty situation overall. Remind her to never sleep with a man again, by the way, because if she had slept with a woman, none of this would be happening. Aleks finally caves, groaning as she throws the door wide open. She still looks miffed — more than earlier, actually, with her furrowed brow, angry glare, and deep frown — but she at least seems to be open to a new chance as she yanks the picture from his hands. Not rough enough to break it, but Julian should understand that Aleks won't hesitate in that moment to dig her nails into his arm if he so much as tries to touch her, take the picture back, or step into her apartment. She casts him one more meaningful glare before she lowers her head, really taking in the image. And then she tenses up. Her glare loosens, but her muscles remain tense. She tilts her head slightly. Huh? “Polina?” Aleks flips the picture to see the names signed on it. Why is her man-hating, lesbian sister-in-law in a picture with Tommy and his supposed children? She lifts her head again, eyes narrowing suspiciously. “How do you know Polina?” If this is all some sick plot of Vasilia’s, she’s going to skip the country, pregnancy be damned. She’ll drop off the radar without hesitation. No more existing. It’d be so enraging, this kind of meddling and invasion of privacy. “How the hell do you know my sister-in-law?” Everything else is going to have to wait; she wants answers, and now.
Message Me • 05:07, 18 March 2021 (UTC)
「 Julian Ritchard 」Lovable Idiot • Amateur Chef • Father of two
twenty eight
wizard
tbp member
Single
When Aleks slammed the door, Julian rocked back onto his heels and let out a breathe. Well-that was that. She didn't want anything to do with him. Which was fine-she had every right to cut him off. Such is life, he supposed, you meet people and they break your heart, you break their heart, you say goodbye and move on to the next person who comes your way. A few years later, you might run into that person again and exchange peaceful words and wish them best. Julian would be okay and he was sure Aleks would as well. He would have been gone by the time Aleks opened the door again if he hadn't decided to bend down and put the flowers in the corner where they wouldn't be knocked down. They were charmed to not whither and die. So by the time he stood up to go, Aleks had swung the door back open and if the smile was anything to go by, he looked like a little kid who was given ice cream on a boiling hot day. Until he saw the way she froze when she viewed the picture. At first, he thought that maybe she had realised he was telling the truth but then-"Polina?" He asked, now also thoroughly confused. "The blonde...? That's not..." he trailed off as the thought of Tessa living a double life crossed his mind but he quickly crossed it out. No, no it wouldn't work. "That's Tessa, my friend. She's not your sister in law. I'm sure of that. I've known her for nearly eight years now, I haven't..." he trailed off. This was not what he expected. He knew he wad giving her a lot to accept and think, but he didn't think the tables would be turned on him. Maybe that's why Tessa was so ambivalent about him seeing her. "I don't think I do. Genuinely, I don't know a Polina." Julian wanted to say the timelines wouldn't have matched up because, at the top of his mind, it wouldn't. Besides the years in Europe, the months of Nikita, and Tommy, Julian and Tessa have virtually been joined at the hip. Maybe the Europe years could give Tessa enough time to go start another family but even then, the twins would have been around, and she didn't seem to recognise them. Tessa wouldn't have let those two out of her sight, not without Julian or someone in TBP around. Russian. Aleks is a Russian royal. A family Julian hasn't researched much of. He pulled out his phone. There'd be images of the Russian royal family somewhere. Last time he heard, they were all half dead and some girl had been placed on the throne. At the time, he wondered why they didn't just pull the monarchy apart but, after sleeping with a prince, his anti-royal stance was slightly undermined. Tessa knew about the prince too so he could already hear her comments if he tried saying something against the royals. You don't like the royals? but you slept with one? I can't believe you put your own needs over your morals. "Give me a second, sorry," he said. It was a new phone, old sim card, but the phone was well above Tommy's in terms of quality. He heard Tommy was functioning off of a flip phone when Tessa found him. Soon, however, he was staring down at the official images of Polina and Vasilia. "Oh, I see why you asked," he said and scratched the back of his head. Tessa couldn't have been having a double life. She told him everythng, he knew she told him everything. And he was stubborn enough to refuse to consider the idea that she was lying to him. Why would she? If she wanted to go sleep with a Russian empress, he wouldn't exactly stand in her way. He'd take care of the twins. "I met Tessa when I was twenty one, twenty two? In England. Twins is on the table but I'm not sure they're the same person." He brought out another photo of Tessa (you can never have too many photos of your family) to compare it to Polina, even though he knew-he wouldn't find a single difference. "I don't know why they look alike."
Message Me • {{{2}}}
「 Timofei Romanov 」Illegitimate • Half-Veela • A good personality
16
Part veela
Student
Single
Tomya had been hiding in a closet. Look-he knows. He knows he shouldn't be in there but he had been waddling out of his room when Aleks had first opened the door and he'd just ended up ducking into the nearest closet. He didn't want to be seen, he didn't want to interrupt. Tommy. This was the baby daddy. Oh shit. He didn't want to be here. He needed to leave. But the guy would see Tomya if he left the closet, he was in direct eye line of the baby daddy. He would see Tomya. He sat in silence as he listened. This wasn't good. He didn't have an opinion from what he could hear. About the baby daddy. Tommy? Julian? Aleks clearly didn't believe the explanation and Tomya decided he was just going to follow Aleks's suit and not think for himself. When Aleks closed the door, he released the breath he was holding because finally-he was free. Oh wait, no he was not. Aleks was opening the door again and-huh? He did not expect Polina's name to be thrown out there. How do you know my sister in law? No way. Slipping out of the closet, he walked straight for the door and peeked over his cousin's shoulder to look at the image. "Does this mean Polina's cheating on Vasya with a man?" He asked, just before Julian began to speak. Julian's own tirade dropped off after look alike when he saw Tomya. Then Tomya looked at Julian and it almost felt as if someone sucker punched him. He was gorgeous. Aleks had never really mentioned that aspect. At least the baby was getting good genes. "Are you a veela?" He asked, out of curiousity, "part-Veela?" He asked when Julian shook his head.
Message Me • {{{2}}}
「 Grand Duchess Aleksandra of Russia 」Runaway Princess
The initial denial gives Aleks pause. Her eyes narrow as she finds herself on edge again, feeling like a lie is about to fall from her ex-fling's tongue. "What? That's not Polina?" she challenges, rolling her eyes at the confusion on his face. If she knows Tommy as well as she believes, then he wouldn't have thought to pull up a picture of his own. So that surprises her, at least, but it quickly wears off when he insists they can't be the same person. Aleks goes to deliver another scathing remark when she hears a door — was that the closet door? — open. She turns on instinct, and if Tomya bothered to glance at her, he'd have seen a look of pure relief that he's intercepted. Admittedly, this isn't how she wanted things to go, but if Aleks gets any more stressed, which is a real possibility with the way the conversation is going, it may be harmful for the baby. "I don't know. I could research, hire a private investigator, maybe, but I don't know if Polina would ever let Vasya out of her line of sight long enough to fuck a man, let alone have children with him and lead a double life. And as secretive as she is, I'm not so sure Vasya would keep from me any twin of Polina's." Then again, she's putting a lot of faith in her relationship with Vasya, which, considering their history, may not be the best idea. "Leave him be, Timofei. Curious as I know you are, I don't need you giving him any reason to suspect me because you can't keep your mouth shut." Aleks doesn't feel comfortable with the Russian that slips from her tongue, but she doesn't know how else to ensure privacy for herself and her cousin's conversation. "Tomya, meet Tommy. My ex." Aleks considers clarifying that Tomya is her cousin, but to be honest, she doesn't know if she cares enough to do that. Though she's curious about how he'll react to a male presence in her life, considering Tommy has never met any man in her life before.
Message Me • 01:36, 27 March 2021 (UTC)
「 Julian Ritchard 」Lovable Idiot • Amateur Chef • Father of two
twenty eight
wizard
tbp member
Single
Julian knew Russian. The bare basics of it, really, from his years around Tessa. It was enough to pull out the bare basics of what Aleks was saying. Suspect me. That was enough to catch his attention and, well, suspect her. But he wasn't sure what to suspect her of. He kept his face impassive, though, deciding it might be better if he didn't let them know to he knew the language. He was on top of the situation now. Tessa had a dopple ganger who was Aleks's sister in law. Small world, apparently. His eyes were focussed on Tomya with idle curiousity. He was definitely a family member or something similar. He looked a little young to be anything else. And he could definitely see the family resemblance between the two of them. "No, neither. I'm a muggle born," he answered with a friendly smile before he held out his ring-adorned hand to the younger boy. "It's really nice to meet you, call me Julian, though. Let me guess-brother?"
Message Me • {{{2}}}
「 Timofei Romanov 」Illegitimate • Half-Veela • A good personality
16
Part veela
Student
Single
Tomya could barely drag his eyes off Julian to look at Aleks as she talked to him in their mother tongue. "Vasya surely wouldn't be so easy to forgive Polina if she knew about the double life, right?" He automatically asked. He couldn't see Vasya being so in love with Polina if she knew that there was potentially another person in Polina's life. The thought hit him. If this was the case then...Aleks's baby daddy is also Polina's baby daddy. It took everything he had to keep his face straight. No, it couldn't be possible. There's been some confusion. Surely. "Maybe it's not Polina...she wouldn't have been so sloppy as to let her baby daddy get to you so easily and for so long," he said after a moment. Then Aleks introduced him and he turned to Julian and his stomach twisted as Julian began to speak to him. His dignity had never been in tact for long but it certainly broke when he let out the squeak when Julian held out his hand and said it was nice to meet him. "No, sir," he said as he tentatively slipped his hand into the older man's hand, "my dad is her dad's brother. So we're separated siblings." He...forgot the word cousin. "How d'you know?"
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「 Julian Ritchard 」Lovable Idiot • Amateur Chef • Father of two
twenty eight
wizard
tbp member
Single
Julian kept his expression polite and warm as Tomya answered him. Separated siblings. He...guessed? "Family resemblance," he said after a moment as he slipped his hand out of Tomya's after a firm squeeze. Mentally, he was jotting down all the questions he was going to be bringing up with Tessa. As much as he loved Tessa, and trusted her, he had no doubt it wasn't this Polina who'd have all the answers. Then he began to start small talk with Tomya. Basic questions, asking if he was in Hogwarts, what house he was in, what he liked doing, if he lived here, and Tomya was happy to answer. Really-he was giving Aleks time to process and if he made sure a family member of Aleks liked him, then maybe she could warm up to him too.
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「 Grand Duchess Aleksandra of Russia 」Runaway Princess
Aleks looks back at Tommy, doing her best to not frown. Muggle-born. That's more than he ever gave her when they had their fling, so why is he being so candid now to her cousin? To make a good impression? It can't be. He didn't really care about that kind of stuff a few months ago, and she doubts there would be anything that would change that now. "Maybe. You know all it takes is for Polina to twist sister dearest's legs apart and she's suddenly willing to overlook any transgression. Why do you think our relationship is in the dumps at present? She looks the other way. Her loyalty only lies with her wife." The sir throws Aleks off. She casts her cousin a weird look over her shoulder, face contorted into a questioning and almost judgmental expression. Sir? Really? Aleks opens her mouth to say something, but reconsiders. She resorts to pursing her lips and looking back at Tommy. "Wipe that drool off your chin," she mutters, knowing damn well he'll hear her even if she isn't looking at him. Minutes begin to pass and Aleks' frustration grows, her patience wearing thin as the clock ticks away. It eventually comes to a point where she clenches her jaw, pinches the bridge of her nose, and simply turns around, pushing past Tomya to reenter her home. "Oh forgive me, I thought you were here to talk to me instead of my cousin. How foolish of me. Take care of our guest and show him the way out as soon as you're done mucking up to him, Timofei," she calls over her shoulder. She's exhausted, and frankly, she's starting to feel sick again. It's for the best to wait in the bathroom. Privacy and avoiding hearing Tommy's voice? Yeah, count her in. Hearing it just hurts more than anything.
Message Me • 01:36, 27 March 2021 (UTC)
「 Timofei Romanov 」Illegitimate • Half-Veela • A good personality
16
Part veela
Student
Single
Tomya's cheeks turned slightly red. Look-he didn't like thinking about that side of their marriage. "I'm not drooling," he shot back. When Aleks began cutting through with them, he winced and practically shrunk. She was hormonal, he knew that, but...quite frankly, he first thought was that she was jealous. "You're the one who got knocked up by him," he mumbled to himself as she closed the door. Honestly-first impressions of the guy? He was nice enough. He didn't really see any glaring red flags. Then again-Tomya probably wasn't the best person to find those flags. "Look it was nice meeting you but I think-" he said, turning to Julian but then paused. Julian looked like someone had poured cold water over him.
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「 Julian Ritchard 」Lovable Idiot • Amateur Chef • Father of two
twenty eight
wizard
tbp member
Single
Julian was in the position as Tomya, wincing when Aleks began to leave again. The only thing stopping him from following Aleks was Tomya in the doorway and pushing him out of the way seemed like a poor decision. Julian was unsure of what to do-she'd left with his photo-but he was going to leave. Yes. Then Tomya said that and it felt like the world turned upside down. No fucking way Tommy had managed to get someone pregnant. Oh who was he kidding. Of course he did. Julian had been just as bad with safe sex at that age, it's how he got the twins, but then he'd made sure he was a lot better afterwards. So of course, when he lost his memories, he reverted back. He should have expected this. He truly should have expected there'd be some aftermath from Tommy that wasn't just breaking a girl's heart. Now it all made sense. You left me. Now he knew why she was so upset about it. It wasn't about being short staffed it was...being short of a father. A partner. Left alone pregnant. Fuck. He fucked up. Tommy fucked up. He didn't even know how to have gone about it a different way, though. However-the question was there. Was she going to tell him? Ever? The idea of not being around his children was enough for him to feel sick. He wasn't sure what he'd do-no, he did know. If Tessa took the twins away from him, if Aleks took this baby away from him, he was sure. He was sure that he wouldn't be alive for much longer. They were his life line. As much as he loved Tessa, Vince, Eden-his kids were his life. His job. He took in a breath. Don't jump to conclusions. She wasn't going to take his kid away from him. He shoved that thought, that panic attack down, and shoved Tomya aside and tossed him into the hallway and closed the door on his face. He didn't want any other interruptions. He'd rather ask for forgiveness for that than to walk away from Aleks and his child. Julian slowly made his way to the bathroom door and lightly knocked on it. The meeting had changed now. No-he wasn't going anywhere now. This was a lot to process but he knew one thing-he was a father. And he would be there for his child. He didn't care what type of person he'd have to work with, to co-parent with, but his child won't grow up without him. "Aleks," he said quietly, hoping he would hear him clearly, "Aleks, I'm sorry. I'm here to speak with you, you're right. I just...I just want to help. I know I left you alone. I know I left at the worst time possible. But I'm not going anywhere anymore, I promise. Not again." Even if he was kicked out, he'd be back the next day. And if she refused...well, he might just start asking for help. Eden. Eden would help, surely? He couldn't lose his child. "Let me help you. Please, I'm begging. You can ask me any question you want, and I'll answer you truthfully this time. I know I'm not Tommy. I'm not the person you were close. I wish I was, I wish I was the boy you want. But I'm not. And I can't give you him. But I can try, I can try to make up for that for the rest of my life. Just don't...if it's true, if you are pregnant with my kid..." he said delicately, because he knew she won't be impressed that Tomya ended up being the one to tell him. "Please don't close the door on me. Please," he whispered. He could hear his own mother in his ear. Look at you, begging, what are you? Weak? I didn't raise a son like that. Julian didn't know what happened to his mother, he turned his back on her in sixth year and never looked back. It was weird that her voice had suddenly returned of all moments.
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「 Grand Duchess Aleksandra of Russia 」Runaway Princess
Aleks doesn't know what Tomya has done because the bouts of nausea are becoming stronger and more frequent. With less time in between, added onto her dizziness, by the time Julian has processed his new reality, she's collapsed on the ground, head inclined forward as she holds the trash can into her chest. Fuck the toilet — she hates when it splashes. And so she lets go of everything that remains in her stomach, the fruits she'd consumed as snacks making a gnarly reappearance as colorful chunks among the juices of her stomach. She's so gone that she fails to hear Tomya being thrown out, the slam of the door, or even her ex-fling's knock on her bathroom door. She only really refocuses by the time he starts begging. She's confused and alarmed, and none of it makes sense, because how did he get in here? Why is he in her flat? What did Tom — oh. Aleks' jaw drops, her expression of disgust being swiftly replaced by one of contempt. She's going to kill her bastard cousin and cut his body up into tiny little pieces to feed his fish. The one thing she warned him against doing, and she leaves him alone for like five minutes, only for him to spill the beans. She's going to evict the little freeloader, she swears. Aleks scowls at the door, equal parts annoyed and upset. There goes all her plans. God, the monarchy is going to crumble and it's all their fault. "The door is already closed," she snarks, glaring at the white door. Oh, the gall of this man to talk to her like she's this fragile little thing, too. The audacity! What the hell is wrong with him? She has to push an entire human out of her vagina in less than 40 weeks, and he's over here acting like a kicked puppy. Ugh! She really is at a loss for words. What now?
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「 Julian Ritchard 」Lovable Idiot • Amateur Chef • Father of two
twenty eight
wizard
tbp member
Single
The sentence made him pause. "I know that, you know what I meant, it was a metaphorical door. The front door. Not this specific door," he said, pointing at the front door...which was also closed. But she didn't see that. Nor did she see him pointing. He dropped his hand. He didn't look at the door, however, but he probably should have. Or else he would have seen it However, he did smell something...repugnant. Morning sickness. It had to be. Water, she should have water. Her hydration levels would have gone down. Hydration is important. Fabian hated water and it was always a struggle getting him to drink it. He remembers when he had this sort of bug and was sick every other ten minutes. Nothing was being held down. And...Tessa was busy with the parade. Julian had managed to hydrate him through an ice block marketed to be focussed on hydration. Worked well enough. He turned to go find the kitchen, he could help, before jumping out of his skin, his hand slamming against the door to steady himself. Luckily, he had been looking at her just moments before so he knew who she was. He wasn't sure how she did it. How, a woman who was visibly pregnant, managed to sneak up on him like that. This was why Tessa questions how he ever got into the parade. Merlin-he got rid of Tomya so there wouldn't be any more interruptions and another family member popped up.
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「 Vasilia Romanova 」Tsarina of Russia • Soft but Hunted
twenty six
witch
empress
married
Naturally, she turned up earlier than she said she would. Aleks didn't reply and she became concerned so Vasya decided just to make sure this guy wasn't causing problems. Polina didn't seem to be worried but this guy was still a stranger and Tomya...well, Tomya was currently in their attic hiding so she wasn't sure how much weight she put on Tomya's judgement. It wouldn't hurt to make sure he wasn't causing any issues. Vasya, though, was always conflicted when it comes to new people. On one hand, she didn't want to be distrustful from the get go, but on the other hand, there was always a risk of new people entering their family with bad intentions. First impressions...she wasn't sure. He seemed sincere. But Aleks hiding in her bathroom wasn't exactly sending the best of messages. "You must be the baby daddy," she said with a thin smile, not moving to shake his hand.
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「 Julian Ritchard 」Lovable Idiot • Amateur Chef • Father of two
twenty eight
wizard
tbp member
Single
ulian hesitated before nodding but did hold out his hand. He wasn't going to bow or anything like that. She wasn't his empress. Nor did that automatically mean he was going to grovel for her respect. "I believe that would be me," he said, "I'm Julian. Julian Ritchard."
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「 Vasilia Romanova 」Tsarina of Russia • Soft but Hunted
twenty six
witch
empress
married
Vasya looked down at the hand before looking back up to him. It took her a second to shake the hand, but even then it was light and quick. "I was under the impression you weren't in the picture," she said, "a deadbeat." Cut to the chase, why not. What was he going to do? Yell at her? That'd answer her own questions and suspicions. A sliver of anything violent would have him be kicked to the curb and Vasya would be the flower girl at the wedding of Aleks and Pietro. Vasya had a wide eyed look of innocence and this didn't change when Julian visibling bristled at the suggestion, jaw clenching, and it was almost as if Vasya was daring him to react. Daring him to argue with her.
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「 Julian Ritchard 」Lovable Idiot • Amateur Chef • Father of two
twenty eight
wizard
tbp member
Single
"I had a medical issue," he said after a moment, forcing him to calm down. Dead beat dad was his worst nightmare. If he was facing a boggart, it'd be the version of him that had deserted his children. But this was the Aleks's older sister. He knew he had to be on his best behaviour with her. Plus-what would he even say? "A bug, if you will. So I was taken out for a while, took a little to recover. I would have been here otherwise."
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「 Vasilia Romanova 」Tsarina of Russia • Soft but Hunted
twenty six
witch
empress
married
Vasya hummed at this response. She guess she could understand that, considering her own history with coma's. She couldn't really be there for anyone when she was in a coma. "Perhaps," she said, her hand on her bump which seemed to have swelled since the last time Aleks saw Vasya, "giving her some space would help." Vasya was getting the impression that if she told him to leave, he wouldn't, so she was trying to find some middle ground. "Perhaps if you could get a glass of water for me and wait in the living room." Julian was opening his mouth, Vasya wasn't sure to be stubborn or not, but he wasn't moving, and she tilted her head slightly. Julian, despite being a complete stranger, got the message. Maybe it was because she was pregnant-not a lot of people went out of their way to argue with a pregnant woman. But Julian moved past her. "Wrong way, kitchen's that way," she said gesturing to the area and he switched route. With him gone, she waited a moment. Honestly-she was giving herself a chance to calm down. She had apparated, which was suddenly so much more painful now that she's pregnant, then walked up two flights of stairs. Then she lightly knocked on the door. "Aleks, sweetheart, can I come in?"
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