[roshkin shipyard] for we were born in the darkness... [yasha]

and so darkness we became...

Rays of deep orange light burned through the floor to ceiling windows that looked out over the Roshkin's shipyard. The sun was coming down but that didn't mean the days work was done. Aleksei never really stopped working. He had spent time inspecting ships today, working with the enchanters on one of the newest builds, and especially observing the offloading of a very specific (and covert) set of packages. They had come on a ship out of Madagascar and Aleksei's clients were very eager to get a hold of the boxes but first the paper work had to be done.

The paper work always had to be done.
Like any good business co-owner the dark wizard had two sets of books. One set kept the daily logs, ships in and out, cargo received, the bottom lines and so on. The other book was only for the secret matters. Things they didn't exactly clue the Ministry in on during their yearly reviews. Things like the shipment of crates that had arrived today.

The middle aged wizard took his time writing into the log what had come in, the weight, the price, and even the client's name. It was a secret book but it was also his leverage should they ever be caught. He was perfectly happy being a mid sized fish. It meant there was always a bigger one for the aurors to catch and he could be helpful in that if it meant saving his own neck or more specifically Yasha's.

Half way through the entry he used his wand to turn the flame under the pot on across the room, brewing a pot for tea and getting ready to settle in for the night. He was still dressed in his business clothes, pressed black slacks, shiny black shoes, and a knit grey sweater with a collared dress shirt sticking out from the top but tucked in at the waist. His hair was long but less unruly than his brother's. Closing the book Aleksei took out a jar of powder with a brush resembling a duster sitting in it. Undoing the lid the wizard began to lightly dust the shimmering powder over the book he had placed into a secret drawer of his desk. Brush by brush it began to disappear and that was when he heard footsteps coming his way.

The open air loft wasn't his alone, he shared it with two others, and he recognized the footprints as his brother's.

"Yasha if you come over here do not get any of this on you." He said, noting the invisa-dust and knowing exactly how playful the other could be at times.

@Yasha Roshkin

“Hmm, Ugh.”

A tattooed hand rose, fingers closed to block out the intrusion of the sun as it woke the middle aged wizard from his nap. Slowly, he shifted from the warmth that surrounded him into the cool air of the open room he called his own before his feet touched the cool concrete floor. Yasha rested there, rubbing the sleep from his eyes as his hair flopped down over his fingertips to shield him a bit from the light. His day was spent in his bed, tangled beneath the covers, asleep. As much as he wanted to work when he woke that morning it happened to be the last thing on his mind. He woke and ate like people tended to do but anything that would seem productive was not on his list of things to do. So, he rose once again because his body told him too. Standing, the legs of the pajama pants he wore covered the rest of his legs, cutting the cool breeze down in its tracks. His eyes drifted to the window, the sun was setting. Aleksei was home. He grinned as his stomach gave a rumble and bare feet padded from his room as he sought out the mirror image of himself, though he tended not to look so put together.

The sound of his brothers voice touched him as he rounded the corner and as the words registered in his mind his inner child gave a soft, oooooooooh, in curiosity. Yasha moved to stand behind his brother, leaning to watch as his twin dusted the rest of the book into invisibility. His weight bounced on the balls off his feet as his lips curved up in a smile. “ALEKSEI!” he shouted suddenly, “We should make ourselves invisible!” his eyes sparkled as he spoke with the giddiness that only an excited child could come close to replicating. He was glad he’d woken, this would be much fun. The best fun. He reached to dip his finger in the powder before his brother could dispute him and like an amazed toddler he held the now invisible digit up to his face. “Awesome..” came the awe from such a sight before he reached out to wipe the tip of Aleksei's nose curiously with the same finger. His shoulders shook as he stared at the place where the tip of his brothers nose had once been. “Y-" he began to snicker, tears welling in his eyes as he fought his own laughter. “You know…” he chuckled wiping as if to clean the dust but only to spread more before he finished his thought.

“I got your nose.” He broke like a dam under pressure as his laughter seemed to spill from the seams. His face grew warm as his skin flushed from the lack of oxygen and he found it hard to catch his breath with each glance at the older of the two. “You have to see this!” he shook his head as he bent at the waist. “ you’re face..” a snicker and a deep breath, “do the frown I want to see it without you having a nose.” Once more he laughed, holding the table for support.

He knew Aleksei wouldn't be pleased but he had to say just the sight alone had made Yasha's year. "Please...." His bottom lip pokes out in hope that Aleksei would enjoy a bit of playfulness with him as he had in the past. If not Yasha would cover him in the dust anyway just because he never wanted to do anything alone.

He knew it from the moment that he spoke the words out loud that this was going to end in disaster. To Yasha it would be the most fun, it would be a wonderful time, but to Aleksei it was a waste of time and more importantly highly valuable invisibility powder. "Nooo... we shouldn't." He tried but his words lacked true motivation. Aleksei was a smart wizard and one of the things he was good at was knowing when a cause was lost. And when it came to stopping his playful brother from doing something ridiculous the cause was nearly always lost. He shook his head, one stray lock of long hair that was normally finely combed and stuck in place with charms fell across his forehead. For identical twins the two could not of looked more different in that moment. One was dressed casually, pajamas and messy hair, the other formally with pressed slacked and a clean shave.

"Stop it." He said sharply, the corners of his mouth abandoning him and turning into a smile even as he tried his best to retain his scowl. "Yasha!" He scolded but it was no use. It was already done. He felt the tingling of the powder as it set in to do it's magic on his nose. He couldn't help but look down crosseyed at the lack of an appendage hanging off of his face. He could of admitted it was a little bit funny but that would mean telling Yasha that he had been right and like any good big brother Aleksei simply couldn't do that.

"Yasha this stuff isn't cheap." He said, frowning heavily despite the fact that it was exactly what his twin had asked for. He put his hands on his hips and shook his head again. "Can't you take anything seriously? I'm trying to work...." Even as he said it it felt like a lie. He was a serious man. He was all about the details and getting things done and making money but there was something about the playfulness in his brother's eyes, eyes that mirrorred his own, that always brought him cheer. He couldn't help but relax a little and finally resign into a small chuckle.

"You're an idiot you know that?"

His laughter only intensified as Aleksei struggled to look at his nose, well what once had been the space his nose rested. There was no stopping the mayhem cooking up inside Yasha’s head. Even if his brother had given valid reasons not to do something just an inkling of amusement was all it took for the sillier of the twins to take flight. Once he was off there was barely any feeling him in. It had been the same during the second war, his laughter filled the air around the chaos as wizards fought hard not to lose life and limb. It was all fun and games and seriousness was left to the professional; Aleksei. Yasha knew his limits. He was smart like his brother even if he never showed how much he knew. The mask of his playfulness was the box that guarded his heart. It kept him at an arms length and for it he was grateful at times. Being an adult was hard and he would much rather remain a child while his brother became the sole responsible one. It was a bit selfish but it was how the blonde preferred his life. He feared very little because he knew that his brother would always be there if he got into trouble.

So, he took the playful moments and unnecessary pranks. “Oh, come on. You worry too much old man.” And there ideas like a wish on a shooting star, the frown settled on Aleksei’s face and Yasha cried as he laughed. The tears pulling from his eyes finally as he couldn’t fo life of him feel the seriousness of his brothers words. “This is amazing.” Quick hands grabbed the bottle and his bare feet shuffled back to stay out of reach. His gaze dropped to look at the remaining bit of his finger before he gave a crooked grin to the older, more tidy, version of himself. “Does that make you a genius?” He asked as his eyes blunted, hinting to lifted spirits.  “Because if so you are bad at it sir. Maybe not when you dress up but yeah.” He took in his brothers polished appearance and found himself now wearing a frown. “Aren’t you hot?” his eyes rested on the sweater and like he had many times during their youth the younger man yanked the shirt from where it was tucked. “Can you breathe under there?”

He snickered dipping his finger once more, “Honestly, you need to have more fun.” He gave a nod as if this made his words true, reaching out to wipe the powder into his brothers cheek before his hand lifted to ruffle his hair. He hated when Aleksei looked so put together, it made him somehow feel guilty. As if by not being more cleaned up he was ruining their overall imagine. Of course,  Yasha owned similar clothing but they were saved for the days the two became that fed off one another. Out in the world when they schemed and had darker dealing Yasha was the perfect mirror of his brother. He spoke intelligently and wore his clothes correctly. He was responsible and his playful demeanor all but vanished. At home he was the annoying little brother that never knew when to be serious and always wanted to be fed.

“Are you going to cook yourself,” Us “something to eat?” He asked as his invisible finger stirred the powder in a way that seemed soothing as he contemplated where he would put the expensive powder next. “Because if so I vote chicken!” he never cooked and if not for his twin he would probably never eat. The man would not survive on his own and this he knew without Aleksei ever having to tell him.

"I really don't need to have more fun Yasha." He told his brother, a serious look on what was left of his face as he tried to remember the anti-potion for the invisible powder. He knew he had it listed somewhere in the building... one one of the many shelves of books he'd enchanted with anti-yasha charms. "What I need is to make more sickles." The dark wizard was all about cash flow. He was greedy, ambitious, and entirely materialistic. He knew as well as anyone that money meant power and he was hell bent on hoarding as much of it for the two of them as he could.

Despite himself and everything he was motivated to do there was always something about his baby brother that brought out his lighter, more playful side, and meals were usually a winner. He shook his head, smiling, before offering Yasha what was left of his large coffee cup. "It's black, but its caffeine." He turned and went toward the kitchen that adjoined the large living area of their studio. Basically they lived in a warehouse converted into residential space. The ceiling was high and the beams were exposed and there were grand windows looking out over the docks they controlled and it was home. Aleksei felt safe here.

"I will make the chicken if you make the potatoes, deal?" He offered, looking into the enchanted ice box they kept fresh foods before turning back to his brother and making some demands. "But none of that sour cream crap in there. Just potatoes okay..."