05-15-2023, 08:24 PM
Jia had spent a few hours sobbing, and finally calmed down enough to really think about her situation. She didn’t understand why she was here; but she figured that if she thought about it enough, she might be able to work it out.
What had happened before her arrest? She’d left the Hale household with her brother after great-grandma came by and offered to look after them. Jennifer had asked her three times if she was sure she wanted to, and she had nodded happily – great-grandma had promised ice cream. In hindsight, even an eight-year-old could see that this had been a trap. She felt foolish for falling for it.
Why had she been at the Hale household? Her mother had asked her to stage a tantrum after Amelia Hale’s birthday party so that Jennifer let Cheung and her stay. Okay, so clearly her mother was up to something. She’d known it at the time. It had felt like a big honour to be included in one of her mother’s plots. So, clearly, whatever her mother did had angered the Council.
So, where was her mother? Not in Kerlile. That was obvious; she’d have come to rescue Jia, or at least kick up a fuss. If they had her mother locked up, they’d have taken her to her aunt like last time. So, her mother was probably somewhere else, where they couldn’t punish her for whatever.
Therefore, why had they arrested her? To force her mother to come back.
This was exactly what they’d been taught at the Maytown Academy. Classes on politics began at the age of five for a Daughter. This sort of thing was how the Council made people turn themselves in. Except, Jia knew her mother was pregnant, and she knew that her mother would never, ever come back while it would endanger the baby. And with Cheung, her mother had spent two years clinging to him, unable to be apart.
It was unlikely that Xia would return to Kerlile for at least two and a half years. Which meant that, in all likelihood, Jia would be stuck in here for two and a half years.
After she worked that out, she cried some more. She’d thought she had resigned herself to what might happen, but she’d still been convinced things would be solved fairly quickly. Now she felt a cold hopelessness wash over her. But no, she couldn’t think like that. Her mother had taught her that if anything happened, she couldn’t think like that. She had to grin and bear it; never let them see you cry, Jia. Never let them break you. If anything happens to me, run. If they catch you, I…
Her mother’s breath had caught then, and she’d had to take deep breaths before continuing. When Xia first got involved in that conspiracy of hers, she’d sat Jia down and warned her about these things. She had to remember. She had to. But it was far harder in practice than in theory.
*
Camille found it difficult to focus. She was hungry after three days of starvation, and the others kept smirking at her. It had been worse than she thought, the empty silence. She’d begun begging to be let out before the first day was over. Naturally, she was ignored. Now she just felt defeated and hopeless. Olivia had warned her that her position would not necessarily always protect her. She wished now that she’d listened.
Unbeknownst to her, the Kerlians had recorded her sobbing and begging, and sent the recording to Olivia. Once upon a time, a video of a captive Olivia had angered the Council. Now the Council would use a captive Camille to anger Olivia.
It worked. Olivia immediately contacted the Council and offered herself up if they could guarantee Camille’s release. She wanted them to meet at the border, and allow Camille to enter Zongongia and stay with the Robinsons until she was out. To ensure they kept their word. The Council was reluctant; they claimed it would attract too much scrutiny from the Zongongian authorities. So, Olivia tried her Plan B.
*
Following two sections written jointly with Xiomera
After Olivia got off the phone with the Council, she headed to the Xiomeran Embassy, tailed by at least three separate Zongongian agents. They’d been following her around since her discharge from the hospital, though they hadn’t done anything. She walked up to the embassy and then hesitated. How, exactly, was she going to explain what she wanted?
The guards at the gate looked at her curiously. Finally, one of them asked her if she required assistance in a tone of voice that clearly said "either come inside or go away".
“Uh, yes, yes I need to speak to your ambassador. I am Olivia Pierre of Kerlile,” she said, as if that was a satisfactory explanation for everyone.
The two guards looked at each other, before the one who had spoken gestured to Olivia to wait. A phone call was made, after which the guards became remarkably more efficient. Within minutes, Olivia found herself in the office of Ambassador Ayulía. "Welcome, Ms. Pierre. I must admit I was not expecting a visit today, but our Kerlian friends are always welcome. What can I do for you?"
“This is going to sound weird, but I would like to request Xiomeran assistance in facilitating a, uh, exchange of sorts, with my, uh, mother. And the rest of the Council.”
"What sort of exchange?" Ayulía asked, curious. She wasn't quite sure why Olivia couldn't arrange it herself, but the story promised to be interesting.
“I would like them to release my sister Camille from an alternative education centre. In exchange I will return to Kerlile and they can do as they wish with me. I do not, however, trust them to release Camille if I return and they will not allow Zongongia to provide a guarantee as they do not trust them with any further information on this affair.”
Ayulía was silent for a moment. "I would probably need more details about the situation, and to speak with my superiors. But this could be something Xiomera can assist you with."
“There was an internal dispute within the Patel family,” Olivia said. “It escalated. The Council wishes for myself and Xia Chiu to return, and in order to encourage us, they have imprisoned my sister and her daughter. My sister is rather sensitive; this is the fastest method.”
The ambassador nodded. "Give me just a moment, please." Ayulía walked into the private portion of her office and made a phone call to the Ministry of State. The call eventually made its way to the one person who could make a decision of this magnitude. The ambassador soon walked back into the room. "I have good news. In her wisdom, the Empress has decided to provide you with her assistance. She will reach out to the Council with your request. It was decided that she is
the only one who might be, er, convincing enough."
“Thank you,” Olivia replied. She was oddly calm, given her intention was to hand herself over to the mercy of the Kerlian government. It may, however, have been down to the strong painkillers she’d been given at the hospital before discharge. She did, after all, have a gunshot wound in her hand below the bandages.
*
An hour later, Empress Calhualyana patiently waited as her call was transferred to the Council chambers. She found herself musing with slight amusement at her task. Her amusement gave way to a businesslike demeanor as the call was connected. "Good morning, esteemed Councillors. I hope that I am not interrupting anything important."
The assembled Councillors attempted to hide the fact that they had very clearly been yelling at each other only a few minutes earlier. Pauline Pierre surreptitiously turned over a piece of paper that had NATIONAL SERVICE LOYALTY TEST stamped across the top of it.
“Not at all, Empress,” Lia Chiu answered. “To what do we owe the pleasure?”
"I was approached with a request to convey to you, from Olivia Pierre." The Empress briefly paused to gauge their reactions before continuing. "She has requested our help in conducting an exchange of sorts. She is offering to return to Kerlile in exchange for the release of her sister Camille from your alternative education program. As a side note, I find your alt-ed program fascinating. I am thinking of implementing something similar in Xiomera. Promoting good Imperial values, loyalty, and all that. In any event, Olivia's request is the reason for my call today."
Pauline Pierre was startled. Nirmala Patel was eager. Everyone else was confused. So it was Patel who responded.
“I see she received my email,” Patel said, unable to keep from sounding sinister. “If she would like to return to Kerlile, we can see Camille safely released. As for alt-ed, we would be happy to send you materials, or even advisors on the program!”
"I would be pleased with any information or advisors you can provide. While my goal would not be to copy your program, your extensive experience would undoubtedly be of great educational value to our Ministry of Loyalty and Ministry of Information. As to Camille, I am curious. Would she be free to travel outside Kerlile if she wished?"
“Camille is thirteen,” Pauline Pierre replied. “She must complete her education in Maytown.”
"There is….a concern there. Olivia has indicated that she would not be willing to turn herself in unless Camille is allowed to essentially trade places with her in Zongongia. She seems to feel that would be safest for Camille." The Empress let the question hang in the air as to why Olivia felt that way.
“Zongongia? Why…” Pauline began, and then groaned. “Carmen. Of course.”
“Like hell are we going to allow a Daughter of the Council to go off to live with a nine-fingered traitor and…” Letitia Greenwood began, when she was interrupted by Hale.
“No, listen,” Hale said, keeping her voice calm. On her lap was, as usual, perched a sleeping four-year-old. Jennifer appeared incapable of letting Amelia out of her sight. “Listen, Carmen Robinson owes Pauline her life, right? So, surely, Pauline’s daughter should be more than safe there. It is the logical option.”
Jennifer, of course, would have preferred that neither Camille nor Olivia were in alt-ed, but that was not an option on the table. She knew both girls, and Camille was not going to last very long in such a place. If Olivia wished to do this, that ought to be her choice.
“Councillor Pierre,” Chiu said, turning to Pauline. “This is your decision alone, as Camille’s mother. We can agree to release her, certainly; but only you can agree to this Zongongian business.”
Pauline had been sitting, staring into space as she considered all the options. She had finally made up with Olivia, and she did not want to jeopardize that. In truth, she hardly spoke to her youngest. She’d sent her off to the Maytown Academy at the age of three… actually, Camille had probably already met the EUDCA requirement. If this is what Olivia wanted, then it would become a neater solution to the Patel problem.
“Very well, Camille is permitted to reside in Zongongia in the care of Natasha Robinson - not Carmen; but her elder daughter who I believe is significantly more stable than the mother - for the duration of Olivia’s punishment for the Patel Estate affair.”
"Excellent. Our embassy staff in Zongongia will arrange for her transportation back to Kerlile. I am pleased that we were able to work this out." Calhualyana smiled more broadly. "And I am looking forward to the reading material Councillor Patel is sending me."
“I feel like I missed something,” Rosemary Arnott said, still confused.
What had happened before her arrest? She’d left the Hale household with her brother after great-grandma came by and offered to look after them. Jennifer had asked her three times if she was sure she wanted to, and she had nodded happily – great-grandma had promised ice cream. In hindsight, even an eight-year-old could see that this had been a trap. She felt foolish for falling for it.
Why had she been at the Hale household? Her mother had asked her to stage a tantrum after Amelia Hale’s birthday party so that Jennifer let Cheung and her stay. Okay, so clearly her mother was up to something. She’d known it at the time. It had felt like a big honour to be included in one of her mother’s plots. So, clearly, whatever her mother did had angered the Council.
So, where was her mother? Not in Kerlile. That was obvious; she’d have come to rescue Jia, or at least kick up a fuss. If they had her mother locked up, they’d have taken her to her aunt like last time. So, her mother was probably somewhere else, where they couldn’t punish her for whatever.
Therefore, why had they arrested her? To force her mother to come back.
This was exactly what they’d been taught at the Maytown Academy. Classes on politics began at the age of five for a Daughter. This sort of thing was how the Council made people turn themselves in. Except, Jia knew her mother was pregnant, and she knew that her mother would never, ever come back while it would endanger the baby. And with Cheung, her mother had spent two years clinging to him, unable to be apart.
It was unlikely that Xia would return to Kerlile for at least two and a half years. Which meant that, in all likelihood, Jia would be stuck in here for two and a half years.
After she worked that out, she cried some more. She’d thought she had resigned herself to what might happen, but she’d still been convinced things would be solved fairly quickly. Now she felt a cold hopelessness wash over her. But no, she couldn’t think like that. Her mother had taught her that if anything happened, she couldn’t think like that. She had to grin and bear it; never let them see you cry, Jia. Never let them break you. If anything happens to me, run. If they catch you, I…
Her mother’s breath had caught then, and she’d had to take deep breaths before continuing. When Xia first got involved in that conspiracy of hers, she’d sat Jia down and warned her about these things. She had to remember. She had to. But it was far harder in practice than in theory.
*
Camille found it difficult to focus. She was hungry after three days of starvation, and the others kept smirking at her. It had been worse than she thought, the empty silence. She’d begun begging to be let out before the first day was over. Naturally, she was ignored. Now she just felt defeated and hopeless. Olivia had warned her that her position would not necessarily always protect her. She wished now that she’d listened.
Unbeknownst to her, the Kerlians had recorded her sobbing and begging, and sent the recording to Olivia. Once upon a time, a video of a captive Olivia had angered the Council. Now the Council would use a captive Camille to anger Olivia.
It worked. Olivia immediately contacted the Council and offered herself up if they could guarantee Camille’s release. She wanted them to meet at the border, and allow Camille to enter Zongongia and stay with the Robinsons until she was out. To ensure they kept their word. The Council was reluctant; they claimed it would attract too much scrutiny from the Zongongian authorities. So, Olivia tried her Plan B.
*
Following two sections written jointly with Xiomera
After Olivia got off the phone with the Council, she headed to the Xiomeran Embassy, tailed by at least three separate Zongongian agents. They’d been following her around since her discharge from the hospital, though they hadn’t done anything. She walked up to the embassy and then hesitated. How, exactly, was she going to explain what she wanted?
The guards at the gate looked at her curiously. Finally, one of them asked her if she required assistance in a tone of voice that clearly said "either come inside or go away".
“Uh, yes, yes I need to speak to your ambassador. I am Olivia Pierre of Kerlile,” she said, as if that was a satisfactory explanation for everyone.
The two guards looked at each other, before the one who had spoken gestured to Olivia to wait. A phone call was made, after which the guards became remarkably more efficient. Within minutes, Olivia found herself in the office of Ambassador Ayulía. "Welcome, Ms. Pierre. I must admit I was not expecting a visit today, but our Kerlian friends are always welcome. What can I do for you?"
“This is going to sound weird, but I would like to request Xiomeran assistance in facilitating a, uh, exchange of sorts, with my, uh, mother. And the rest of the Council.”
"What sort of exchange?" Ayulía asked, curious. She wasn't quite sure why Olivia couldn't arrange it herself, but the story promised to be interesting.
“I would like them to release my sister Camille from an alternative education centre. In exchange I will return to Kerlile and they can do as they wish with me. I do not, however, trust them to release Camille if I return and they will not allow Zongongia to provide a guarantee as they do not trust them with any further information on this affair.”
Ayulía was silent for a moment. "I would probably need more details about the situation, and to speak with my superiors. But this could be something Xiomera can assist you with."
“There was an internal dispute within the Patel family,” Olivia said. “It escalated. The Council wishes for myself and Xia Chiu to return, and in order to encourage us, they have imprisoned my sister and her daughter. My sister is rather sensitive; this is the fastest method.”
The ambassador nodded. "Give me just a moment, please." Ayulía walked into the private portion of her office and made a phone call to the Ministry of State. The call eventually made its way to the one person who could make a decision of this magnitude. The ambassador soon walked back into the room. "I have good news. In her wisdom, the Empress has decided to provide you with her assistance. She will reach out to the Council with your request. It was decided that she is
the only one who might be, er, convincing enough."
“Thank you,” Olivia replied. She was oddly calm, given her intention was to hand herself over to the mercy of the Kerlian government. It may, however, have been down to the strong painkillers she’d been given at the hospital before discharge. She did, after all, have a gunshot wound in her hand below the bandages.
*
An hour later, Empress Calhualyana patiently waited as her call was transferred to the Council chambers. She found herself musing with slight amusement at her task. Her amusement gave way to a businesslike demeanor as the call was connected. "Good morning, esteemed Councillors. I hope that I am not interrupting anything important."
The assembled Councillors attempted to hide the fact that they had very clearly been yelling at each other only a few minutes earlier. Pauline Pierre surreptitiously turned over a piece of paper that had NATIONAL SERVICE LOYALTY TEST stamped across the top of it.
“Not at all, Empress,” Lia Chiu answered. “To what do we owe the pleasure?”
"I was approached with a request to convey to you, from Olivia Pierre." The Empress briefly paused to gauge their reactions before continuing. "She has requested our help in conducting an exchange of sorts. She is offering to return to Kerlile in exchange for the release of her sister Camille from your alternative education program. As a side note, I find your alt-ed program fascinating. I am thinking of implementing something similar in Xiomera. Promoting good Imperial values, loyalty, and all that. In any event, Olivia's request is the reason for my call today."
Pauline Pierre was startled. Nirmala Patel was eager. Everyone else was confused. So it was Patel who responded.
“I see she received my email,” Patel said, unable to keep from sounding sinister. “If she would like to return to Kerlile, we can see Camille safely released. As for alt-ed, we would be happy to send you materials, or even advisors on the program!”
"I would be pleased with any information or advisors you can provide. While my goal would not be to copy your program, your extensive experience would undoubtedly be of great educational value to our Ministry of Loyalty and Ministry of Information. As to Camille, I am curious. Would she be free to travel outside Kerlile if she wished?"
“Camille is thirteen,” Pauline Pierre replied. “She must complete her education in Maytown.”
"There is….a concern there. Olivia has indicated that she would not be willing to turn herself in unless Camille is allowed to essentially trade places with her in Zongongia. She seems to feel that would be safest for Camille." The Empress let the question hang in the air as to why Olivia felt that way.
“Zongongia? Why…” Pauline began, and then groaned. “Carmen. Of course.”
“Like hell are we going to allow a Daughter of the Council to go off to live with a nine-fingered traitor and…” Letitia Greenwood began, when she was interrupted by Hale.
“No, listen,” Hale said, keeping her voice calm. On her lap was, as usual, perched a sleeping four-year-old. Jennifer appeared incapable of letting Amelia out of her sight. “Listen, Carmen Robinson owes Pauline her life, right? So, surely, Pauline’s daughter should be more than safe there. It is the logical option.”
Jennifer, of course, would have preferred that neither Camille nor Olivia were in alt-ed, but that was not an option on the table. She knew both girls, and Camille was not going to last very long in such a place. If Olivia wished to do this, that ought to be her choice.
“Councillor Pierre,” Chiu said, turning to Pauline. “This is your decision alone, as Camille’s mother. We can agree to release her, certainly; but only you can agree to this Zongongian business.”
Pauline had been sitting, staring into space as she considered all the options. She had finally made up with Olivia, and she did not want to jeopardize that. In truth, she hardly spoke to her youngest. She’d sent her off to the Maytown Academy at the age of three… actually, Camille had probably already met the EUDCA requirement. If this is what Olivia wanted, then it would become a neater solution to the Patel problem.
“Very well, Camille is permitted to reside in Zongongia in the care of Natasha Robinson - not Carmen; but her elder daughter who I believe is significantly more stable than the mother - for the duration of Olivia’s punishment for the Patel Estate affair.”
"Excellent. Our embassy staff in Zongongia will arrange for her transportation back to Kerlile. I am pleased that we were able to work this out." Calhualyana smiled more broadly. "And I am looking forward to the reading material Councillor Patel is sending me."
“I feel like I missed something,” Rosemary Arnott said, still confused.
LIDUN President 2024 | she/her | Puppets: Kerlile, Glanainn, Yesteria, Zongongia, Zargothrax