10-24-2020, 09:57 PM
Alvarez’s Residence, Buttercity, Lauchenoiria
24th October 2020, 2:53am
Prime Minister Josephine Alvarez let out a groan and switched her bedside lamp on. She’d been trying to sleep for three hours now and she was no closer to success than when she’d first turned the lights out. She reached over for her phone, avoiding reading any notifications as she unlocked it with her fingerprint and sent a message to Sandra Pavía.
Alvarez: Awake?
She didn’t have to wait long before she received a response.
Pavía: Always. Worrying about Xiomera again?
Alvarez: I don’t trust Yauhmi. What do you know about Calhualyana?
Pavía: Let’s just say she would fit in with the Kerlian Council.
Alvarez: Pre- or post-reform? ;)
Pavía: Definitely pre. Wouldn’t be surprised if there’s a Kerlian civil war now.
Alvarez: God I hope not. That’d be all we need.
Pavía: If Xiomera stays divided for long, chances are Kerlile will follow.
Alvarez: Should we be increasing patrols on the northern border?
Pavía: Probably a good precaution.
Alvarez groaned and put her phone down, sliding out of bed and padding through to the kitchen to pour herself a glass of water. The movement was practiced, she could have found her way blindfolded and so left the kitchen light off. Through the uncovered window, she could see the lights of Buttercity twinkling before her. She walked over to the balcony doors and unlocked them, stepping out and listening to the noise of the wind and occasional traffic.
“Everything’s changed, Sonja,” she whispered to nobody. “It wasn’t Chaher’s coup, or the war, not really. It was finding out you weren’t real.”
She slipped her hand into her dressing gown pocket, pulling out a ring and turning it around in her fingers. The Prime Minister of Lauchenoiria no longer wore her wedding ring, but she carried it with her everywhere. A habit she couldn’t seem to break. Her aides urged her to file for divorce, but every time she looked at the papers she felt queasy. She slipped on the ring and closed her eyes, taking a couple deep breaths.
*
Same location
Halloween, 2017
“Okay, now close your eyes,” Sonja said, and Josephine giggled, covering her eyes with her hands and allowing her wife to lead her back through the kitchen into the living room. “Okay now hold on a couple minutes…”
Sonja’s arms left Josephine and she could hear her wife digging around in a drawer, pulling something out and fastening something. “Okay, you can open your eyes now!”
Josephine opened her eyes to see Sonja wearing an outfit that could only be described as sexy devil. “I see you’re all ready for the halloween party,” she teased her wife, taking Sonja in her arms and pressing play on a CD player sitting on some bookshelves. She swung Sonja around, dancing in the living room.
“Let’s hope you don’t have to work this year,” Sonja said pointedly glancing over at the muted TV which still displayed the news. Josephine rarely switched it off. It was displaying an item about the state of the world economy and which nations were doing the best.
“There’s nothing happening,” Josephine soothed Sonja, stroking a stray hair behind her ear. “Now the referendum is out of the way, things have calmed down. Unless the Kvaskm decide to invade us or something, we’re fine.”
“This feels like the calm before the storm, Josie,” Sonja whispered, biting her lip and glancing at the TV. “I wouldn’t want to be her, though.”
Josephine followed Sonja’s eyes to the TV, which showed a news anchor in front of a large image of the Xiomeran Emperor Topilpopoca and his wife, Yauhmi. According to the subtitles, it was a report about the surprising success of isolationist economies, comparing Xiomera and Shuell.
“Why not?” Josephine asked mildly.
“The family of rulers in totalitarian regimes are in an awful position. Everyone thinks they’re powerful and have everything they can wish for, but they’re subject to the whims of those who are actually in charge.”
“Hah!” laughed Josephine. “I bet she’s perfectly happy, alongside all those Kerlian Councillor’s daughters who go swanning off around the globe despite the Kerlian travel ban.”
“You know nothing!” Sonja snapped, surprising Josephine, who turned to look at her. Sonja did not often raise her voice. “Sorry.”
“No, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have brought up the ban. I know you don’t like to talk about Kerlile,” she soothed, pulling Sonja onto the couch beside her and stroking Sonja’s hair. “So what did you mean by the calm before the storm?”
“I don’t know… it’s just a feeling,” Sonja shivered, though happy for the change in subject. “It can’t be that easy, the referendum, the communists, undoing years of oppression. These things are never that easy. It’s almost like they let us win, no real fight. No, they’re planning something.”
“You’ve always been a little paranoid,” Josephine teased. “People in Lauchenoiria have taken to democracy, that’s why people have accepted the result so easily. This isn’t like Kerlile, or Xiomera. The will of the people, my darling, it’s the will of the people.”
“Rowan Martin resigned,” Sonja pointed out.
“Eh, that one was always a little soft for politics,” shrugged Josephine. “The reshuffle was sorely needed, in my opinion. We’ve got a good team, though I’m not really sure about the new Home Secretary.”
“Chaher?”
“Yeah, there’s something off about him. Plus he changes parties every couple of years, more so than even Martin. I don’t really trust him, but Laura thinks he’s good for the job.”
“Mmm…” Sonja yawned, snuggling into Josephine’s shoulder more. Josephine turned back to the TV, watching the end of the report on economics, thinking little more of the words exchanged that night.
*
Present Day
“You were born of war,” whispered Alvarez, opening her eyes suddenly. She turned around sharply and went inside, closing the balcony doors and hurrying over to where she left her laptop and opened it, bringing up the files on her still-legally-wife’s story.
Sonja Viratnen, a teenage girl executed alongside her DKS-supporting parents in the middle of the deadly, viscous conflict. A missing second daughter of Councillor Camila Hale, Jennifer, vanished at the age of 13, thought kidnapped or killed by DKS. A birth certificate and Kerlian identity card, stolen from the corpse of a murdered girl. Rumours, speculation that the young Jennifer Hale had been taken by foreign agents.
“You were born of war, you shed your identity as Jennifer and became Sonja,” Alvarez muttered to herself, working it out in her head. “You died in war too, taken by the Kerlians and your birth name given once more. But war… maybe…”
She closed the laptop lid, shaking her head violently. No, those kinds of thoughts were unbecoming of someone in her position. Lauchenoiria was neutral in the Xiomeran conflict, and would remain neutral. Empress Yauhmi had attacked Lauchenoiria, and Empress Calhualyana was a terrible person. But if Kerlile was to commit fully…
No! It was a foolish thought. Jennifer Hale, Sonja Alvarez, whatever name she chose to use she was still forbidden to leave Kerlile and would be for years to come. Even if a conflict reawakened the person Josephine had loved, nothing could come of it. Chances were that Sonja, Jennifer, would die if a civil war came to Kerlile. The reformists may have had the majority on their side, but the traditionalists were much better-armed. And Lauchenoiria would be unable to intervene.
“Why is the world like this!?” Josephine hissed aloud.
She turned on the TV to the 24-hour news channel, and sat for the rest of the night staring at reports of the Xiomeran conflict, wondering just who would come out on top - and if it was ever possible to truly win in this world.
24th October 2020, 2:53am
Prime Minister Josephine Alvarez let out a groan and switched her bedside lamp on. She’d been trying to sleep for three hours now and she was no closer to success than when she’d first turned the lights out. She reached over for her phone, avoiding reading any notifications as she unlocked it with her fingerprint and sent a message to Sandra Pavía.
Alvarez: Awake?
She didn’t have to wait long before she received a response.
Pavía: Always. Worrying about Xiomera again?
Alvarez: I don’t trust Yauhmi. What do you know about Calhualyana?
Pavía: Let’s just say she would fit in with the Kerlian Council.
Alvarez: Pre- or post-reform? ;)
Pavía: Definitely pre. Wouldn’t be surprised if there’s a Kerlian civil war now.
Alvarez: God I hope not. That’d be all we need.
Pavía: If Xiomera stays divided for long, chances are Kerlile will follow.
Alvarez: Should we be increasing patrols on the northern border?
Pavía: Probably a good precaution.
Alvarez groaned and put her phone down, sliding out of bed and padding through to the kitchen to pour herself a glass of water. The movement was practiced, she could have found her way blindfolded and so left the kitchen light off. Through the uncovered window, she could see the lights of Buttercity twinkling before her. She walked over to the balcony doors and unlocked them, stepping out and listening to the noise of the wind and occasional traffic.
“Everything’s changed, Sonja,” she whispered to nobody. “It wasn’t Chaher’s coup, or the war, not really. It was finding out you weren’t real.”
She slipped her hand into her dressing gown pocket, pulling out a ring and turning it around in her fingers. The Prime Minister of Lauchenoiria no longer wore her wedding ring, but she carried it with her everywhere. A habit she couldn’t seem to break. Her aides urged her to file for divorce, but every time she looked at the papers she felt queasy. She slipped on the ring and closed her eyes, taking a couple deep breaths.
*
Same location
Halloween, 2017
“Okay, now close your eyes,” Sonja said, and Josephine giggled, covering her eyes with her hands and allowing her wife to lead her back through the kitchen into the living room. “Okay now hold on a couple minutes…”
Sonja’s arms left Josephine and she could hear her wife digging around in a drawer, pulling something out and fastening something. “Okay, you can open your eyes now!”
Josephine opened her eyes to see Sonja wearing an outfit that could only be described as sexy devil. “I see you’re all ready for the halloween party,” she teased her wife, taking Sonja in her arms and pressing play on a CD player sitting on some bookshelves. She swung Sonja around, dancing in the living room.
“Let’s hope you don’t have to work this year,” Sonja said pointedly glancing over at the muted TV which still displayed the news. Josephine rarely switched it off. It was displaying an item about the state of the world economy and which nations were doing the best.
“There’s nothing happening,” Josephine soothed Sonja, stroking a stray hair behind her ear. “Now the referendum is out of the way, things have calmed down. Unless the Kvaskm decide to invade us or something, we’re fine.”
“This feels like the calm before the storm, Josie,” Sonja whispered, biting her lip and glancing at the TV. “I wouldn’t want to be her, though.”
Josephine followed Sonja’s eyes to the TV, which showed a news anchor in front of a large image of the Xiomeran Emperor Topilpopoca and his wife, Yauhmi. According to the subtitles, it was a report about the surprising success of isolationist economies, comparing Xiomera and Shuell.
“Why not?” Josephine asked mildly.
“The family of rulers in totalitarian regimes are in an awful position. Everyone thinks they’re powerful and have everything they can wish for, but they’re subject to the whims of those who are actually in charge.”
“Hah!” laughed Josephine. “I bet she’s perfectly happy, alongside all those Kerlian Councillor’s daughters who go swanning off around the globe despite the Kerlian travel ban.”
“You know nothing!” Sonja snapped, surprising Josephine, who turned to look at her. Sonja did not often raise her voice. “Sorry.”
“No, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have brought up the ban. I know you don’t like to talk about Kerlile,” she soothed, pulling Sonja onto the couch beside her and stroking Sonja’s hair. “So what did you mean by the calm before the storm?”
“I don’t know… it’s just a feeling,” Sonja shivered, though happy for the change in subject. “It can’t be that easy, the referendum, the communists, undoing years of oppression. These things are never that easy. It’s almost like they let us win, no real fight. No, they’re planning something.”
“You’ve always been a little paranoid,” Josephine teased. “People in Lauchenoiria have taken to democracy, that’s why people have accepted the result so easily. This isn’t like Kerlile, or Xiomera. The will of the people, my darling, it’s the will of the people.”
“Rowan Martin resigned,” Sonja pointed out.
“Eh, that one was always a little soft for politics,” shrugged Josephine. “The reshuffle was sorely needed, in my opinion. We’ve got a good team, though I’m not really sure about the new Home Secretary.”
“Chaher?”
“Yeah, there’s something off about him. Plus he changes parties every couple of years, more so than even Martin. I don’t really trust him, but Laura thinks he’s good for the job.”
“Mmm…” Sonja yawned, snuggling into Josephine’s shoulder more. Josephine turned back to the TV, watching the end of the report on economics, thinking little more of the words exchanged that night.
*
Present Day
“You were born of war,” whispered Alvarez, opening her eyes suddenly. She turned around sharply and went inside, closing the balcony doors and hurrying over to where she left her laptop and opened it, bringing up the files on her still-legally-wife’s story.
Sonja Viratnen, a teenage girl executed alongside her DKS-supporting parents in the middle of the deadly, viscous conflict. A missing second daughter of Councillor Camila Hale, Jennifer, vanished at the age of 13, thought kidnapped or killed by DKS. A birth certificate and Kerlian identity card, stolen from the corpse of a murdered girl. Rumours, speculation that the young Jennifer Hale had been taken by foreign agents.
“You were born of war, you shed your identity as Jennifer and became Sonja,” Alvarez muttered to herself, working it out in her head. “You died in war too, taken by the Kerlians and your birth name given once more. But war… maybe…”
She closed the laptop lid, shaking her head violently. No, those kinds of thoughts were unbecoming of someone in her position. Lauchenoiria was neutral in the Xiomeran conflict, and would remain neutral. Empress Yauhmi had attacked Lauchenoiria, and Empress Calhualyana was a terrible person. But if Kerlile was to commit fully…
No! It was a foolish thought. Jennifer Hale, Sonja Alvarez, whatever name she chose to use she was still forbidden to leave Kerlile and would be for years to come. Even if a conflict reawakened the person Josephine had loved, nothing could come of it. Chances were that Sonja, Jennifer, would die if a civil war came to Kerlile. The reformists may have had the majority on their side, but the traditionalists were much better-armed. And Lauchenoiria would be unable to intervene.
“Why is the world like this!?” Josephine hissed aloud.
She turned on the TV to the 24-hour news channel, and sat for the rest of the night staring at reports of the Xiomeran conflict, wondering just who would come out on top - and if it was ever possible to truly win in this world.
LIDUN President 2024 | she/her | Puppets: Kerlile, Glanainn, Yesteria, Zongongia, Zargothrax