Potential Death Wish (INVITE)

Iva bounded down the stairs, hair curled neatly to match the delicateness of her brown eye make up. She wore a white dress, something simple enough to be casual and nice at the same time. Reaching the bottom of the stairs, she pivoted to the living room of the mansion to find her youngest brother, Pieter, reading on the couch with Zoya curled at his feet. She stared for a moment, before snapping,

"If you do anything weird tonight, I'll kill you," Her Russian flowed smoothly, making Pieter jump at the fierceness of her words.

"So, I can't lick them?" he sneered, tossing the book at the little girl. She batted it sideways, aghast.

"No, you freak!" Iva punched her brother's arm, hard enough for him to react. In a split second, the boy pulled his elbow back and slammed her in the stomach. There was a split second of silence before Pieter sprung to his feet to look at the ashened girl, who clutched her stomach with tears in her eyes.

"I didn't mean it! Don't tell Dad!" Trying to comfort his sister, Pieter took a step forward, then futherly on the wolf splayed on the floor.

Just another Popov day.

Damian was almost certain he was about to sign his own death warrant. The boy fidgeted. Why had he allowed Iva to talk him into this? More importantly, why had he helped convince Asric? How was having dinner with a man who was bound to hate him on sight a good idea?

Clearly, Damian Gray had a death wish.

Or maybe he was just in love with the girl.

Either way, it was likely to end the same.

He fidgeted again, moving ever so slightly closer to his mentor as the man knocked on the door to the house.

Asric had been slightly weary about this whole meeting. Damian had wanted to go alone but he could never allow him to meet a man he had never heard of. He could be a child murderer for all he knew and he was Damians guardian.

He placed his hand on the boys shoulder and used his other hand to knock on the door. He was prepared for whatever this dinner brought. He always was.

Pieter Ezekiel Popov I, or Papa, walked down the steps, dressed impeccably in a suit and tie. Without batting an eyelash, he grabbed his son's arm and yanked him to his feet, letting go too early so that he would be off balance.

"Stay on your feet." He growled. "We will not be having this today." He glared at his little girl, his princess, his eyes angry. "You're lucky you deserve a birthday present." He aimed a pointed look at the iced heart still around Iva's neck. "When we're through with your mudblood pet, you can explain to the rest of your brothers why you decided it would be a good idea to bring a man of power into a house with so many... secrets." He turned from her quickly, clapping his hands together.

"Innokentiya. Go get Angel. He will be dining with us tonight." He smiled, the expression looking more like a grimace. "I will let in our guest. Pietra will get their coats. We will be doing Dinner number 23 tonight." Innocent and Defensive. "I want these two believing we are nothing more than a pureblood family. Blood traitors, almost."

Once they all moved to do his orders, Papa straightened his spine and walked to the door, pausing only to mutter the temporary additions to the wards around the house. Opening the door he immediately skewered the boy with his eyes. Gruffly, he motioned them inside, eager to close the door on the cold Russian night.

"Welcome to Popov Manor." He greeted gruffly. "I am Pieter Popov I. It is quite nice to meet you." He said, offering his hand to the headmaster before him.

As anyone of his stature would have, he'd looked up the man standing before him. He therefore knew just about everything he felt he'd needed to know.

Iva blubbered something about Pieter hurting her as she shuffled to the stairs, sniffling. She climbed slowly, not exactly welcome to the idea that Tre was joining them. Most of the brother's were either out or working, so she didn't worry about them so much...

She turned the corner at the top of the stairs to find Tre's room, her footsteps light and inaudible. She knocked on the door, calling, "Tre, Damian's here for dinner. Number 23."

Pieter the second had followed his father, still a bit shocked by the roughness from before. He held the opposite air of his father- meek, warm, and a bit awkward.

"Welcome, I am also Pieter. I will take the coats," he smiled, glasses slipping down his nose.This boy... wasn't as interesting as he had hoped. Iva talked about him as it he was a god or something. "Innokentiya is upstairs getting Tre. She will be down so-,"

Zoya, feeling left out, butted her way between the two men, tongue lolling and tail wagging. She gave a small bark of welcome before pawing over to rub against the familiar men.

"Stupid dog. Always gets in the way," Pieter smiled, though rather annoyed, "Sorry, I can put her out. Iva keeps letting it back in,"

Tre had been sitting in front of his mirror, looking miserably into the mirror before him. Countless ice sculptures of all sizes were littered and set about his room haphazardly where he'd placed them, but otherwise the space was neat. He looked good in his customized black tuxedo, but he couldn't help but be a bit... off.

He was dressing up for him. The mudblood. Iva's newest pet.

He opened the door with a sigh, facing Iva without really looking at her.

"Twenty Three?" he asked in disbelief. "We haven't done twenty three since two christmases ago." He had to supress a small smile at the necklace still around her neck. He was winning that way, at least. "I don't think I remember all my lines." he whined.

"Let's go." He murmured. "Might as well get this over with."

Plastering on a smile, he followed her down the stairs.

"Pleased to meet you, sir," Damian replied politely. Yep. Hated on sight. Brilliant. To his credit, the boy's nervous fidgeting had ceased the moment the doorknob started to turn.

He handed his coat off to the other boy, feeling a bit ridiculous - he was able to put his own coat away, after all. "She's mentioned you," Damian offered, without any sort of inflection as to whether it was good or bad. The older boy was a lot... skinnier than Damian had envisioned.

Damian crouched, grinning widely at Zoya in greeting as he scratched her ears. "She's a wolf, and a daemon," he corrected. "And I don't mind.

"Hey, Zoya. Lynne says hello." Damian kissed the canine on the head. "We've missed you." He stood back to his feet, then looked to Asric, waiting to be given his cue for what he ought to do next.

He held out his hand and shook the other mans. "As it is quite the pleasure to meet you." He said adding emphasis on the word quite. Funny how these Russians introduced themselves. "Asric Chaos II." He said before his eyes travelled to look at the imcomputant boy.

"Wolves have played a big part in my family since the very beginning of time. I find it very rude that you haven't bothered to take the time to learn the difference between a dog and a wolf!" He said looking back up at Pieter. "Especially seeing as your daughter is now attatched to one." He said waving the boy off, he would keep his coat on.

"Is my daemon not welcome in your house Mr Popov?" He asked eyebrow raised.

Papa shook hands before letting go of the man.

He had to refrain from smiling. His youngest son was such an idiot.

"Excuse us if he insulted you. I didn't know he'd been putting Zoya out. I have been busy with business of late, and haven't been home." He leveled his gaze at the boy, narrowing his eyes threateningly before returning his sights to the man.

"Daemons are always welcome in my household. Let us not confuse things, yes?"

He looked over his shoulder and smiled once more. "There you are. Princess. Angel. Come greet our guests. Pietra can lead us into the Dining Room once the pleasantries are over." He looked Tre and Iva up and down, quite fond of how they looked as a couple. Once Iva got over her little mudblood sidetrack, she'd be back to normal.

He knew it from the iced heart around her neck.

"Damian!" Iva rushed down the stairs, smile wide and bright. She rushed into his arms, landing a kiss on his lips. Her eyes flickered to her father's with a knowing smirk. He didn't like this, but it didn't matter.

"Good evening, Headmaster!" she smiled, pulling away from Damian. Zoya circled her legs, unsure of whether to hang out with the new comers or her partner. "Do not mind my brother. He is just grumpy, yes?"

Pieter grumbled a Russian compliant, taking the boy's coat to the other room. Stupid Iva. Stupid Tre. Stupid everyone. "The dining room is this way,"

Tre came down the stairs after her, his golden eyes sparkling with happiness at Iva's glee. He looked away when they kissed however. Just because he accepted it, doesn't mean he had to watch.

"Nice to meet you." He said in Russian, before blinking and switching to English. "I mean... nice to meet you..."

He let his eyes go from the headmaster to the boy, and felt a small smirk form.

He was puny. Small. Innocent looking... boring. Though, he supposed he had to have some spunk in him somewhere, to have caught Iva's attention, but who knew? That british school may have slipped something in her food or something.

"My name is Treshawn Beneparte." He introduced himself, with a short bow. His tone automatically slipped into the slight Italian lilt he used whenever he said his name, but he smiled it away. "Iva has told me much about you." He continued, eyes on Damian. "How very nice it is to finally be able to see you." He grinned, satisfaction coming off of him in waves.

He followed after Pietra into the dining room, his eyes on Papa for the seating arangement. It had been very long since they'd done Dinner 23, and he was still rusty...

What were his lines... ah, yes.

"Please, sit where ever you like." He said with an angelic smile and a wink at Iva. "The house elves have been working on this meal since last night, in hopes to please young Mr. Damian."

Damian had turned from his mentor and the other man as Iva started down the stairs. He'd heard her much before then, of course - with his hearing, it would have been impossible not to - but he had gotten pretty good at pretending otherwise. The boy had smiled widely in greeting, opening his arms in time to catch her as she threw her own arms around him. A pleased (though faint) flush spread across his face at the kiss.

"Hey, Iva," Damian told her, still smiling. Iva had shrunk a bit since he'd seen her at the end of the school year - which actually meant he had grown a couple inches, of course. He didn't feel like he was growing, though, a few of his trousers had been starting to seem a bit shorter in the legs...

He turned his eyes to the other boy, expression going neutral again. Damian had learned enough Russian that he had understood what he'd said the first time, not that he was about to say as much. His Russian still sucked - he wasn't about to admit to trying to learn it until he was at least a little certain he could speak without making a complete fool of himself.

It wasn't that hard to figure out that Treshawn Beneparte was supposed to be the alternative, the better choice - the correct, pureblooded choice. Damian hadn't missed the way Iva's father had regarded Iva with the other boy, and he wasn't missing the smarmy self-satisfaction that the boy was feeling when he undoubtedly came to the conclusion that Damian wasn't much competition.

Damian nodded slowly. "She's never mentioned you," he stated bluntly, hiding his own satisfaction over that little fact.

The boy followed the others to the dining room, swallowing back a remark about the absurdity about so much work being done on his behalf. Maybe for Master Chaos, but not for Damian, himself. Damian wasn't that important. Yet.

Giving a polite smile, he waited to see where Asric sat. Damian might not have known where the Popovs expected him to sit, but as the man's apprentice, assuming he was to sit beside the Headmaster was always a safe bet.

He nodded and looked at the stairs at the light sounds of Iva's steps. He'd heard her coming from up stairs, but he never liked to give away his added senses. It helped him alot when tracking and fighting his prey.

"Hello, Iva." He said nodding his head as he patted Zoya on the head before following the boy into the dining room. "How's business Pieter? Good i hope?" He said taking his seat near the top of the table. The head of the table always belonged to the head of the house and he was just a guest.

Papa ignored Tre's glance at him, and flawlessly delivered his lines. "Yes, the very best for Iva's friend." He ignored Tre's snicker and sat at the head of the table, nodding at the headmaster.

"Business is good, never better I suppose. The goblins at the Gringott's over here have been getting a little stingy with our changes in the accounts, but it will be dealt with appropriately." He shrugged and gestured for the children to sit down. His children (plus Tre) had been brought up to only sit once the adults had all settled and they were invited. He expected Pietra at his right side, and Angel next to him. the boy would, of course, sit next to his master. Iva was the only wildcard.

Papa smiled at her. It wasn't as if he expected her to actually sit next to Angel. His princess would probably sit with the boy, wouldn't she?

Once they were all settled, he clapped twice, and the house elves began bringing out the first course. Soup and Salad.

Pieter took his place at his father's side, watching the headmaster and Damian with placid amusement. It was strange to have them over in such a private setting when they weren't clients, but he doubted Papa would ever allow this to happen again.

It took him a second to remember his lines for this sham of a play. "The rest of the family is disappointed they couldn't come, but they are very busy," he gestured to a family portrait on the wall, "That's us... three years ago, I think."

The picture showed smiling children and their parents, waving to the camera in nice clothing. The twins and the elder brother occasionally elbowed each other, only to be stopped by the shorter, blonde haired woman. Their mom. When adult weren't looking at the picture, the other children started to misbehave as well; Pieter tugging Iva's hair, Iva stomping on Vin's feet, and so on.

Iva elbowed Tre, unamused by his grin. She took Damian's hand and started to lead him to a seat, whispering, "Do not worry about Papa. He'll like you just as much as I do," she placed another kiss on his lips and headed for her seat.

She had lines too, but decided to ignore them. She was more of an add libbed sort of girl, anyway. And this glut of food and wealth was a Russian tradition, but it still made her blush. She felt almost ashamed of her wealth and she couldn't explain it.

"How has your summer been, Demushka?" she asked with a smile. Pieter snorted at the pet name.

"Demushka? Really? That's such a corny nickname. Suits him," he snickered.

"Shut up, Pietra. You called Alexzander worse things,"

Tre sat beside Pieter with a smirk in Damian's direction, having taken Iva's elbow like a man with only a small teasing smile at her. "I will be civil to your boy, Iva. I promise." He winked at her, his voice low.

He tried to hold back his laughter at the nickname, smiling. "Demushka is not the worst nickname in the world." He moderated, glancing between the two after turning away from the picture with a fond smile. "Bunny..." He warned. He lowered his voice. "Papa does not want trouble tonight. Be good." He looked at Iva. "Both of you."

Papa shot a glance their way, and Tre smiled angellically back at him until he turned his attention back to Asric. He gave both Iva and Pieter a pointed look, before smiling at Damian.

"I apologize for cutting you out of the conversation, Damian. I wouldn't want to do that." This he said with sincerity. He remembered being in America and having to actually use his English lessons. The kids there had not been as forgiving as the ones here seemed to be. "What is life at Hogwarts like?" He asked curiously. He had planned to sign up for the student exchange program, but he'd never gotten around to it. "Is it as fun as they say?"

Damian shrugged. "Just been studying and practicing in the Room of Requirement," he responded. "How has your summer been?" He chose to ignore the snickering of Iva's brother. No doubt, the other boy was laughing at his expense. Whatever. Damian just had to survive this stupid dinner and that was it.

He turned his attention to Treshawn, managing a polite smile.

"It's fine," he replied, then tried to put a bit of thought into his next answer. "Same as anywhere else, I suppose. I'm busy with classes, mostly." That wasn't entirely true. "There are lots of rooms and stuff, though, so there's interesting things to see, I guess."