Dmitri smiled despite himself at Katerina's open-ended suggestion, and the way she could say it without even thinking twice. "Katya, I wish nothing more than that!" he agreed in good humor, since he could definitely observe it in this situation, "But if I did that, I would be letting the old man get away with robbing me of what is rightfully mine. It would be as good as giving up, and he would like that so much."
Ivan, who'd since leaned forward to take one of the cups off the tray, sipped it quietly while the two discussed amongst each other. Just through observing, he was quickly learning more about this virtual stranger. Even before he was a teenager, Ivan realized getting anything out of their father was a useless objective to pursue, but Dmitri at twenty eight seemed to think it was something he could still win with.
"...You know how it is, Ivan," Dmitri said, turning towards the man, as he removed his hand from Katerina's. He said that, just assuming Ivan's situation was similar to his own.
"I'm afraid I don't," Ivan said, now made to comment, though he would of otherwise said nothing. "Alexey and I weren't left anything." He said it without contempt-- how could he have contempt for his mother not being born into riches like Dmitri's was? For knowing she wouldn't be around when they needed the money, or that their father would give them nothing of his own?
But Dmitri still believed there was something judgmental in Ivan's tone, that he'd very poorly misspoken. "...That's even worse," Dmitri attempted to correct, "That he's such a miser, I mean-- that's just what he is...Really, you received nothing at all, Ivan?" His curiosity got the best of him, because it was his mother's 15,000 roubles or so, paid in installments, which had gotten him through what little school he did attend, and then, given him a place to live later, at least for a little while, though he'd failed to make the most of it. And it was clear from the way he asked that he wasn't at all trying to start anything with Ivan, to make fun of what might of been a personal wound, but because he was honestly curious about his brother in this way, and how that played into his growing up.
"I never asked him for anything." Ivan clarified with that statement, that it hadn't been that he was turned down time and time again like Dmitri was. He'd, instead, skipped those steps in the process entirely. With another sip of his drink, Ivan briefly glanced down at the contents of the cup. "Nor should you... It's unnecessary, and petty." Especially in front of the generous woman sitting right beside you. She had just told him that he could be free of these concerns, and while it may of been a unsightly for him to jump on that proclamation, to see it as an opportunity, at the most he owed her some thanks for offering in the first place.
Rather than growing cross with that judgment, as he may of from another, Dmitri grinned a bit. "By my estimate, the man still owes me 30,000...! How well off you must be, Ivan, if you see that 'unnecessary'...!"
And Ivan smiled too then, looking up again. "What I think is most unnecessary, is discussing matters of money at a time like this."
"Quite true, quite true," Dmitri conceded, "Again: I apologize, Katya," he continued, looking over to her. "I imagine I'll be apologizing for myself all night, at this rate. I'm not at all prepared... to be honest, I'm a bit nervous right now. I hadn't been expecting that not only my future betrothed, but my little brother too, would be present to look upon me with judgment today. Yes, if I'd known that, I definitely would of prepared something better to say..." He joked, but his eyes didn't smile along with his mouth-- they rarely did, but at that moment, they seemed notably off. "...Let's speak of something else," Dmitri continued as he firmly patted his palms to his knees, when Ivan made no move to say that was an incorrect perception."It's your choice, Katya," Dmitri said, glancing at her, "Since I am here for you."