[Lauchenoiria]

Mariya had interrogated many activists in her time. Violent and non-violent, male and female, Kerlian and Xiomeran. Irene, however, was nothing like any of the others had been. She wasn't even anything like the Lauchenoirians Mariya had met during the war. Irene had crumpled like a piece of paper on the very first day. And she was clearly truly terrified of Mariya.

Both Kerlian and Xiomeran dissidents knew the risks, of course. And everyone who chose to take up arms in Lauchenoiria's civil war had made an active choice. Irene, though, was a Lauchenoirian activist who had never intended to leave Lauchenoiria. In their conversations, Mariya discovered that Irene had spent the civil war hiding in her parents basement, wanting to join the Resistance but never being quite brave enough to do so. Mariya believed that.

Mariya entered the girl's cell where she sat, her eyes red and swollen from crying. The girl would not stop crying. Mariya had thought she was on hunger strike for several days, before she realised from the girl's blog that she was merely the world's pickiest eater. Switching her food for the plainest fare they usually gave to uncooperative people had worked. All Irene's defiance had long deserted her.

Today, the girl was clutching a copy of Teachings of the Goddess by Eveline Hart, Councillor Natalia's mother. After Mariya got sick of the crying, she'd decided to distract the girl by giving her a pile of Xiomeran and Kerlian propaganda. At first it had merely been an experiment to see how she reacted, but the books seemed to distract her from her sorrow. The girl was hardly going to defect, but with her head clearer she'd remembered some more useful things.

"I see you finished The Merits of Meritocracy," Mariya greeted her captive, who jumped, dropping the book and curling in on herself in fear. "Personally I think it would have benefitted from more analysis of gender relations, but you'll have more of that in Musings on Matriarchy next."

"Are… are you just going to keep me here reading comparative propaganda?" Irene replied, her voice almost as soft as a whisper. She immediately shrunk back, fearing consequences for speaking.

"My orders are to keep you here until I am certain you know no more than you are telling me," Mariya replied. "And I was sick of your snivelling, so this serves to distract you."

"I promise I don't know anything else! I've told you everything, I swear!"

"I do hope so, Irene," Mariya said, gently taking Irene's hand and holding it in hers. "It would be such a shame if anything happened to these lovely fingers of yours."

Irene shrieked, tears of terror returning to her eyes. She did not, however, snatch her hand away. She had learned. If Mariya wished to hurt her, she would. If she resisted, Mariya would hurt her worse. One of the propaganda texts had described the punishment given to DKS members during the Kerlian Civil War. Irene did not want to experience that.

"Good, good, smart girl," Mariya said, tapping her prisoner's hand and then letting it go. She bent over to pick up the pile of paper she'd left the girl. It was to write down anything else she remembered in the night, initially, but Irene had taken to making notes about the propaganda, which Mariya allowed as she found it amusing.

More WOE Stuff I Remembered: said the title of the first page.
1. The guy who got kicked out the courtroom at Anna's trial was wearing a cross necklace so was probably Christian
2. The pizza delivery person the Buttercity office uses took payment both by card in advance and cash at the door so I think he was also selling drugs but I'm not sure
3. There's a group chat where people with gardens swap trees for some reason?? I don't know, I live in a flat

Yeah, this girl's already told me everything, Mariya thought, turning the page. The second page had a line drawn down the middle to create two columns, labelled Xiomera and Kerlile. In them, Irene had taken notes comparing the contents of the propaganda texts. There were a lot of notes. That would be good entertainment later.

"Thank you for being so open with me, Irene," Mariya said. “I’ll see you later.”

She swept out of the cell, leaving Irene, who was sobbing again, to scramble to pick up the propaganda book - anything to distract her from where she was.