Words cannot espresso how much you mean to me

Summer has arrived and Stefanja had already dressed in a pretty, light pink, sponsored summer dress and some fine black, sponsored shoes. Her nails were painted with, of course, sponsored nail polish in a matching color to the dress. Around her ankle, she carried her usual braided friendship bracelet. She had her sponsored glasses in her loose, long, dark hair and stood outside the coffee shop that her older sister had asked her to meet her at. Her nose was pointed to the sun, wanting to get an even tan on her face and of course to enjoy the sun rays against her skin. She had already been looking at reviews of the place and prepared a text with different emojis so she could post it on her blog as soon as they left the café, she had used her trip on the bus to prepare it. She just needed a selfie with her sister, or maybe just a picture of their drinks. Easy, right?

Attire | Link
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To say Natasha was actually feeling like this meaning would be sad to say, not because she didn't like talking with Stefanja, to be fair she did. It was just weird chatting when her sister had no clue about the supernatural world. Especially after both Natasha and Irina both now were to entangled with it. Stefanja knew nothing about the matters of their family history. She had thought about taking Luka with her, but to be fair, with the things she felt like she had to drop on Stef's shoulders, Luka wasn't really to be around in that mess. Natasha closed the door behind her as Elias had dropped her off a few streets down, making it easy to talk down the street as if you had been parking your car across the street.

Natasha walked towards her sister, did their usual cheek kiss greeting, almost like being back home. "It's good to see you," she spoke in their native tongue, giving her sister a warmer smile. "So, coffee? Let's go in," she nodded to the side before heading inside the cafe to get in and order a simple black coffee and a chocolate chip cookie - because why not.

Stefanja could recognize her sister’s steps and opened her eyes only to be proven right. She cheerfully returned the usual kiss on the cheek. “You too,” she replied in the same language. To her, it honestly didn’t matter what Natasha spoke in, she would be able to follow no matter what; of course, some languages were more difficult than others. The warm smile was reflected on Stefanja’s lips, and she nodded, following her sister inside, getting herself a pretty latte and a juicy-looking cheesecake. As soon as they received the things, they could find a nice spot to sit together. “This place looks so comfortable,” she praised with a wide smile. “It’s been a while,” she then said scrunching her nose a little.

"To be blunt, all the places looks almost the same around here," she chuckled a little bit, even if it wasn't true. Natasha hadn't really been out eating in that many places, and even so it was mostly in Grounds of Lily if she wasn't in Aston to visit Irina or Edith. But she still stayed at the Radclyffee mansion with Luka, and had gotten rather used to that sweet life. "It has been a while indeed, I didn't realize you were back in Gaia till you texted," it wasn't like Natasha or Irina really were that much on social, they didn't have the time. "Have you even told Rina you are here?" Well to be fair, it wasn't like the sisters had much to do with Irina since 2014 really - or well till Natasha had knocked on Irina's door last year after things had gotten out of hand. Tales Stefanja had yet to learn about. "How are you doing?" Natasha wondered, who could blame Nat for overthinking a simple meeting, she had no idea what really went on at home anymore. Not after all the shit that had happened, Darin had tried to call her a few times over the last couple of months: because even he didn't know what the fuck was going on anymore. And Natasha didn't even know what Nayden was up to lately.

”Oh,” Stefanja replied, feeling slightly odd that every place should be looking the same. Now she had been at a few places, where she didn’t think this place fitted in as a similar one. Stefanja shrugged a little. She knew her sisters weren’t as much on social media as she. She was an influencer after all.  Her eyes widened a little as she spoke about Irina, “No… No, I haven’t,” she replied. She had felt awfully distanced from her oldest sister. After all, the last time she saw her was when she fled in 2014. Eight years ago. She didn’t really feel that connected to Irina anymore, and she was nervous about whether or not they could get back to where they once had been. Things had changed.

How are you doing? Her heart instantly reacted to the question, beating a little quicker. It was a question she had prepared herself for so many times since she had texted Natasha. She wished to tell her about how she felt like she was caged and how she only really could escape the drama at home by traveling, by being an influencer on the move. “I’m good,” she replied, “Really good,” a wide smile spread on her lips, and she cursed herself thousands of times in her mind. “It’s so nice to be here,” she said looking around, letting her shoulders relax a little, “I know I’ve been visiting a couple of times, but it’s just… A little freeing, you know?” Alright, she was getting there, but still so far from her actual feelings and well-being. “Mom is smiling. Dad is as he usually is. Nay and I still live at home,” she nodded as she explained, even though it wasn’t really about how she was doing. It was a general update so to say.

I'm good, perhaps the most common response to the question in the family. Even so, she agreed it was nice here, even with all the dramas their family faced - even those Stefanja had no clues around - she felt way more at home here than back in Russia. "I know, she hummed a little bit agreeing. It was nice, being able to talk - till the next sentence dropped, Dad is as he usually is," Natasha raised a finger almost didn't let Stefanja finish that one sentence. "You didn't just call that abusive asshole dad?" The she-wolf blinked a little bit in clear disgust, placing her hand down on the table they were sitting at not minding the slam had people's heads turn around. Natasha didn't look away from her sister. "That guy has been abusing the entire family for far too long one or the other way - look at you so under his spell he has you wrapped around his pinky finger," she let out a overdramatic sigh and leaned back in her seat.

When she raised her finger Stefanja shut her mouth and her eyes blinked rapidly, almost as a flinching response. A learned mechanism that she was the last one to have a word to say. Natasha had caught onto how Stefanja had called Maxim dad. That was what she had been told to call him at home. It made him happy, and if he was happy, there was less of a chance that he would raise his hands. It had been the safest. Stefanja had gotten used to having people around her all the time who would inform her stepfather about how she acted, and she would get reprimands if she did things wrong. It felt like an elephant stood on her ribcage, suffocating her, crushing her heart. She started to pull a soft smile. She understood Natasha’s point of view. A small jump from Stefanja’s shoulders and another set of rapid blinking was to be seen on Stefanja. She could feel how eyes turned to look at how they- Natasha was discussing the title of the moron that Stefanja had called dad in the, for once, wrong company.

As soon as Natasha had finished her rant Stefanja blinked a little slowly before her eyes escaped to her latte which her hands were wrapped around. “Yeah… I mean, you’re completely right,” she said, blinking a few times again. She looked back up at Natasha. “I’ve missed this,” she said, pulling a quivering smile. Not that she specifically missed how Natasha could hit bull’s eye on every little button Stefanja had. She missed the war Natasha could create whenever Maxim was too much. She missed how the tables could turn and how much peace there could come right after such a storm.

"You've missed this?" She chuckled a bit dry and shook her head a little bit. She didn't even know yet, which was perhaps beyond how tragic this really was. Because Maxim no was no longer here to taunt them. Their grandparents had taken care of that, it was just a matter of time before truth had to be told to Stefanja, so she wouldn't be in the dark when it came to the fact their mother now was living here in Athena with them. The supernatural. Natasha had lived in the supernatural longer than any of her siblings because of her first relationship - the relationship none of her siblings actually knew about. Which for a short second was a scary thought, realizing perhaps Austin was still alive - maybe if she visited the old lands he had owned back in the day she would see him? Scary thought indeed, because for her it was only a few years, for him it was a life time. No, she shook the thoughts out of her head again. "To be fair, my temper has increased since I became a werewolf last year," she took a sip of her drink, spoke rather bluntly, placing the glass back down, it was warm but heat didn't really matter to her after all. "We have a lot to talk about Stef, but I'm not sure this is the setting for it," she could text Tyler or Cecilia see if she could borrow their housing for a moment to let the world explode. Cecilia's perhaps the best, the space was bigger. Irina would for sure have her hanged for telling her without her present, but did Natasha really have time to waste? The longer Stefanja stayed here not knowing was harmful, and she couldn't really help herself now that she had thrown the first rock. "And before you laugh at my joke, it wasn't really a joke."

Her smile still quivered as she gave a nervous nod. “I’ve missed how you put your foot down,” she spoke quietly. However, she didn’t get to rest on that thought for long when she revealed something. Something that Stefanja thought was a joke. A nervous chuckle left her, not even daring to tell her it was a good joke. Her brows furrowed a little as her sister told her how they had a lot to talk about. It gave her nervous chills, because having something to talk about was always bad news. “Okay,” she said with a quiet voice, not really knowing if she wanted to go somewhere else or just wanted to wait another day. In general, she was already getting confused. She didn’t even really get a clue about what Natasha wished for before, Natasha finished her first sentence a little late.
“What?” she asked failing to relax completely. “Like I know our hair is thick and you got a temper, but that doesn’t really-” she stopped herself, being able to see how Natasha so easily told Stefanja to stop and let it sink in. One could almost see how the wheels turned in her head. Her eyes were wide, and she looked a little lost. She made a short tug on a smile, wanting to please and assure Natasha that the information was well received. But it wasn’t. “Excuse me for a moment,” she said before she a little hastily got up from her seat, leaving everything she had with her on the spot. She didn’t even bring her phone. She wished for fresh air, but she couldn’t just go outside and let everyone see how badly she took such simple news, but the toilet wasn’t ideal either. Before she knew of it, she found herself walking out the staff’s back door. She could feel how her heart was beating nervously. What the hell was she supposed to say to information like that? Natasha didn’t pull pranks like that. It made her stomach turn and she looked up to try and keep her eyes from watering. She mumbled in Russian to herself, to pull her shit together and not just leave. Why had she even left?
Air.
She took a deep breath in, closing her eyes. As soon as she had exhaled, she turned and tried to get in through the staff door. Locked. She walked all the way around the building and into the café again and sat down on her seat again. “Sorry, I just got a little dizzy for a moment,” she said and corrected a strand of her hair. She pushed her phone a little to the side of the table. “So… You’re… Supernatural?”

If it hadn’t been for the fact that she did know her youngest sister rather well at this point, she would had followed her: making sure she was alright and all. But Natasha also knew she had to let Stefanja get the air to truely process her train of thoughts. So, Natasha just sat still sipping her coffee while she waited. She didn’t even look at the strangers who starred because of what had happened. Now the supernatural was a giant way of living that no one had all answers too. She didn’t even believe her greatgrand uncle or what Damian was had all answers. But she trusted him with to answer the questions she asked to best ability.
Finally. Stefanja returned inside again letting her sit down. Then nodding to confirm. “I am,” she confessed and exhaled a little bit. “I was turned into a werewolf by someone named Deacon last year, after you know” after her husband was brutally murdered in front of her and Luka had been taken, and Natasha then had killed Edith’s husband. Not that Stef needed to know all of that. “It’s a long story.”

Those two words were almost enough to knock all air out of her again. Her head started spinning about Nayden’s arrival. She was only brought back to the conversation as she mentioned a name. She nodded, knowing very well what she spoke about. It was difficult not to remember how her husband had been killed and Luka had been taken. It had truly shaken up some things. It had also been one of the reasons why security had increased. “I-I bet it is,” she said feeling out of touch with her reality. “I guess it's a very bad time that I told Nayden to come and join us? I asked him a couple of weeks ago,” she informed. She hadn't gotten any texts from him in a while, which honestly bothered her.

Natasha raised a rather sharp brow by the mention of Nayden would come to join them. Now, she hadn't heard from Nayden in a while, hadn't even know he was out travelling. "Excellent," she sighed sarcastically as she leaned a bit further back in the chair she was sitting in, before shaking her head a little. "Irina is gonna have my head if I drag both of you into this, but also, one shouldn't really keep family history away from family," Natasha mumbled mostly to herself even if she knew Stefanja was able to hear her just fine. Also, with that came the insane story about their grandparents not being dead, their grandmother being royalty - which meant down the line, so where they. "When is he expected to arrive or will he meet us here?"

When Natasha sighed, it was almost as if the knot in her stomach grew heavier. What the hell was going on? She had no idea bout how to untie the knot in her stomach.  The dizziness ran over her yet again, but with her hands around her cup, she didn’t sway, but sat straight up, just like a woman should. Look pretty. She could barely breathe from the information. Her sister was a werewolf. “I-” she furrowed her brows when Natasha mentioned how one shouldn’t be keeping family history away from family. Natasha should know that Stefanja and Nayden always walked hand in hand and shared everything. But even though she wanted to share this information when she had the chance, she was quite certain none of them would know how to react.
She tugged on a dear smile as Natasha wondered about Nayden and when he was going to arrive, “He’s on his way,” she spoke softly, almost afraid of how Natasha would take the news.

He’s on his way - "I heard my name - ish, all good I hope," he chuckled a bit then walking closer towards his sisters. It seemed like ages since he had seen Natasha last, and there was something completely changed about the way she carried herself, even if she had always been a proud woman. Natasha blinked a little bit, "yeah speaking of the devil and he arrives - good to see you Nay," Natasha got up from her seat and greeted her brother with the natural cheek kiss, then sat down again gesturing him to do the same after he had given Stefanja a hug. "I cannot say I'm not feeling a bit ambushed, but welcome to Aston." - "Why thank you, we wanted to surprise you and Rina - can see now we should have told you guys, but you would never have allowed us, so I picked a page out of your own book," he pointed out, even if it had been their mother's idea for them to find Natasha.

Stefanja looked up when she heard Nayden’s reply. She cursed herself multiple times and honestly felt like she could burst out crying just by the thought. How was he going to take this? She wished to hug him, tell him sorry. But she smiled, got to her legs, and hugged him. Her cheeks felt like they were burning. She moved a bit to the side, clapping on the seat next to her so he could sit there. A short chuckle left her as she heard how Natasha felt ambushed. She understood why and knew why Nayden wouldn’t know the true reason. Oh, she felt so electric. She felt so bad about keeping secrets, and this one could be a life-changer. Stefanja was simply the best woman to sit still and look pretty while the chaos unfolded in front of her. Because this was fine. “Yeah, I hope Irina might have some time to spare one day, so we can meet her too,” she said to Natasha pulling a smile, that didn’t even show how worried she was about everything. The meeting they were at right now, the upcoming meeting with Irina, and simply walking around in this town, not being able to tell a supernatural from a human. Were they simply walking meals to vampires and werewolves?

"You should call her, you know - she might be busy, but she always has time for family," Natasha replied knowing that well, Irina and Stefanja hadn't seen each other since what October last year, it wasn't really like Natasha had either - mostly just been texting. But Natasha hated this time of year, it was a reminder of the death that had happened last year along with the chaos. "She had her son back in April," Natasha informed them leaning a little bit back, then looking at Nayden. There was something about his scent she couldn't place, but it wasn't human. Odd things you picked up on now that you were a werewolf rather than human. Natasha knew their mother was with Zoe and Sergei, their grandparents, but it would be a massive bomb to blow in their head even learning that they were alive in the first place. Natasha hadn't even dared visit her mother yet, scared that she wouldn't like who she had become after the things that had happened last year. "Hey, stop worrying, it provokes wrinkles," she looked at Stefanja, able to hear her heart rate pick up even if Stefanja looked so calm. Nayden took a sharper breath in, noticing her sister processing things, which had Nayden believe both his sisters did know about the supernatural. Or he could smell it on Natasha.

"Can we skip the part were we pretend we don't know about the supernatural?" He then asked, making Natasha turn her head around in confusion. How did he know? Nayden took a sharper breath in, oh he didn't know everything. He knew about himself, or parts of himself. Thanks to their step-father and uncle Maxim, Nayden had learned he had gotten some genetics from his dead father that were anything but natural. Parts that scared him, but also parts Maxim had tried to teach him.

Stefanja gave her a small smile as she told her to call her oldest sister. “Yeah certainly, but I don’t think I have her number anymore,” she said with a slightly more complicated smile. “She ran off after all,” her brows furrowed for a short second. One thing was that she saw Irina last year, another ting was having her telephone number so she could contact her. Irina had after all kept quite the distance from the family, in Stefanja’s eyes.
Stefanja’s brows almost reached her hairline as Natasha broke the news about a new family member, “Really?” she said with a more genuine happiness in her voice. Stefanja loved the small nieces and nephews, even if she hadn’t seen much to them yet.
She was somewhat shocked that Natasha knew about how she was worried, “I’m not-” she stopped herself from completing the sentence. Her masks didn't work that well now. After all, she had to remember how her sister weren’t human anymore and probably had the hearing like a dog. She took a great breath hoping it could calm her heartrate down. It was difficult to stop worrying, because the whole picture of the world had suddenly changed for her.
Just like Natasha, Stefanja’s eyes turned to look at Nayden. What did he just say? “What?” she whispered, wanting her twin to elaborate.

She ran off after all, a small growl left Natasha and she took a sharper breath in. "Because Maxim telling her to stay put or else was a better choice. Would you rather she had raised a child with a father who abused his wife and most likely daughter," the words just left Natasha without much thought to it, but it was the truth. It was the fate their uncle and step-father so preciously had given Irina the second their father had been killed. But yeah, sharing the fact about their nephew seemed like the best thing rather than exploding any further.

But everything was turning around to Nayden's comment. Nayden exhaled a little bit, "what? It's not like it should come as any surprise to any of us, dad used to read us bed time stories about the supernatural and different types of mythological beliefs," he pointed out. It hadn't come to much of a shock to him in the end that it was true. Then there was also the fact that Nayden knew just what their father had been because of Maxim having told him.

Stefanja was good at pushing multiple buttons today. She spoke as she used to when she was in Russia because that was what she was used to. Her sisters weren’t around, and she had to act in a way where her stepfather liked her, despite Stefanja always lying or not believing her own words. She just wanted to be safe. Stefanja was surviving. Her heart couldn’t help but speed up a little as Natasha spat out words. “I don’t wish anyone to live with an abusive father,” she replied, blinking a few times, to dust off the anger-dust that had sprouted from the volcano, Natasha. Of course, Stefanja could elaborate on many things in this manner, but she wasn’t one to bring up discussions.

“Yeah I know he told stories, but-” she looked at Natasha shortly, “How are you certain?” she wondered, having turned fully toward him with her arms to each side, but her elbows to her body. She wasn't trying to play stupid, but simply wanting to be certain of what he knew and how he had become certain.

Nayden didn't really like this, and yet he did. There was something thrilling about knowing he could tab into something supernatural and now his older sister could too - making him feel less alone. He had felt alone when they had been home with their mother and Maxim, Stefanja of course. Not because he didn't appreciate the company of his sister, but because he was different. He was just like his uncle, inhuman. That had freaked him out. "Because, Maxim taught me," he mumbled not liking that, still remembering the first time he had tasted blood, not that he liked it or had any interest of being the secret weapon that Maxim wanted to display in Bratva now that Irina and Natasha seemed to have failed their missions. He had been next in line. Nayden let his second set of fangs appear, a set of razor sharp teeth, making even Natasha's eyes turn big. Then Nayden pulled them back again rather fast, no he wasn't a blood demon or a vampire, something else entirely. "I think father was the same, but he just didn't know - so he studied all these myths and legends, till he realized he was one himself," Nayden sighed a little bit. He knew their mother was human, just like Stefanja and their brother.

Maxim had taught him. She furrowed her brows, trying to understand what he was talking about. Why and how had Maxim taught him about the supernatural? Why hadn’t Stefanja known? He showed an extra set of teeth that made her eyes almost pop out of her head, and she was certain that her jaw could hit the floor. Stefanja looked at Natasha as Nayden explained his theory. She looked back at him. “That is… So crazy,” she said and leaned closer, tilting her head, clearly wanting to see the teeth again. She didn’t lean far, but enough to show that she was curious. After all, it had only been a couple of minutes for her to know about the supernatural. “How long have you known?” she wondered, looking from his mouth back to his eyes.