09-20-2023, 08:52 PM
Grapevale International Airport, Kerlile
12th September
When Gabrielle stepped off the plane into Kerlile, a stern-faced official turned to the Eirians who had delivered her, and instructed them to leave the country immediately. If they didn’t have enough fuel, they were welcome to stop off in Lauchenoiria, or anywhere else, but they were not welcome in the Matriarchy for one more second. Gabrielle was taken inside where her sister Eva awaited her.
Gabrielle, shaken, was taken back to the Pierre household while Eva informed her of the Council’s new order to deport any Eirian who did not pledge their loyalty to the Council and apply for Kerlian citizenship. During the whole drive, Eva chattered incessantly about all the ways they were going to make Eiria pay for their impertinence; not noticing that Gabrielle was shaken and withdrawn, and in no mood to listen to this.
Upon arrival at home, Gabrielle had pled exhaustion and retired upstairs, where she crept into her eldest sister Olivia’s room. When Olivia returned after work, she found Gabrielle asleep on her bed, the sheets stained with tears. Olivia curled up next to her sister and let her sleep.
The next morning, the pair woke, and Olivia gently washed her sister’s face and waited for the younger woman to talk on her own terms. After a while, Gabrielle began to tell Olivia what happened. “It’s not that I was scared or anything,” Gabrielle assured her sister over and over. “I don’t want you to think I’m weak. It’s just that Camille looked so lost, and it was just the indignity of it all!”
Olivia, who did not care if Gabrielle was weak, but knew how much the appearance of strength mattered to her sister, nodded throughout her sister’s explanation. Then she told Gabrielle it would be okay, fetched her sister a large pile of comfort food, and took Gabrielle back to her own bedroom, where she promptly fell back asleep for the second time, this time with chocolate cake smeared on the sheets in place of tears.
*
Pierre Household, Kerlile
Present Day
Olivia returned from the Council Archives, a thick pile of handwritten notes under her arms. The Archive still prohibited digital technology for security reasons. That had not stopped Olivia from carrying out her research, however. She had been sceptical, at first, of her country’s allegations against Eiria. It did not make sense to her, a democrat. Kerlile was the totalitarian mess she hoped to reform, while Eiria was a model liberal democracy.
She’d watched the video Imogen Robinson sent her mother nearly a hundred times, each time expecting something to jump out at her. She’d called Natasha Robinson and heard her side of the story. She had not managed to speak to Camille; apparently Carmen Robinson was prohibiting the minors under her roof from having any contact with Kerlile and Camille was less rebellious than Imogen.
It was her lack of contact with Camille that cemented Olivia’s opinion, in the end. There was something very rotten in the state of Eiria. It remained to be seen, however, if that rot was Eirian or imported from her own Kerlile, via Zongongia, in the shape of Carmen Robinson. Or both; both was always an option.
She’d begun her research, using her OMCP to study Eirian laws and attempt to work out exactly what had happened from a legal perspective. The research was damning for Carmen; it appeared blame could indeed be laid at the feet of the former Councillor. The woman her mother had granted mercy; when there was absolutely no precedent for such an act. Despite years of their families attempting to kill each other.
Olivia was naturally a Robinson sympathiser, especially over her own family. But Camille was her precious little sister, that she would endure anything to protect. And the idea that Camille was being forbidden to speak to her? Oh, Olivia was not happy. Suddenly, all the lessons her mother had tried to teach her as a child, about ruthlessness and survival, came flooding back, corrupting her from within.
Which was why she had gone to the Archive. The information she had found would ensure that Carmen Robinson posed no further threat to her family. It did not really matter if she was indeed a threat, but any possibility had to be eliminated.
“I have the information,” she informed her mother and sisters.
“Look, I’m not sure this is a good idea,” Gabrielle said hesitantly.
“I am,” Eva clapped gleefully. “Finally, Olivia, you’ve seen sense!”
Olivia’s conscience rose up, whispering words of alarm in her mind that her most authoritarian, somewhat sadistic sister agreed with this plan. That would have been the moment for Olivia to shove down her consciousness and become a true Pierre, but that would have been too cliché. No, instead, Olivia suddenly looked back at her own activities over the last week and became somewhat horrified. She dropped the pile of papers at her feet and blinked a few times.
“Okay, everyone,” Councillor Pauline said to her daughters, gesturing for Olivia to sit down. “Listen, I made a decision to grant mercy to Carmen Robinson. I do not regret that…”
“What!? She’s basically kidnapped our sister, your daughter! How can you still agree with that moment of weakness, Mother!?” Eva snapped.
“Eva, please,” Pauline said, pained. “This could not go on! You know this! The feud, all of it. I acted how I had to make things better for all of us. Camille being in Eiria is not Carmen Robinson’s fault; it’s mine! Because I agreed to Patel’s ultimatum with Alt-Ed! And scared her away.”
“No, it’s Olivia’s, for that stupid deal,” Eva glared at her elder sister.
“You’re both wrong!” Gabrielle snapped eventually, standing up. “It’s Zongongia’s! This whole thing is Zongongia’s fault! Who made Carmen even more paranoid? Zongongia. Who treated Natasha like a walking baby incubator? Zongongia. Who pretended to be a safe haven for wayward Daughters, and then turned that on its head? Zongongia! Eiria is a distraction, they are NOT the threat here.”
The other three Pierres stared at Gabrielle in surprise for a few moments.
“Blame shouldn’t matter,” Olivia said eventually. “What matters is how we ensure Camille’s safety. Preferably without the products of my momentary insanity,” she said, staring warily at the papers.
“Imogen Robinson claims that Camille does not, at present, wish to return to Kerlile,” Pauline spoke so quietly it was almost a whisper. “Therefore, we would be acting against her wishes if we acted in any way. If that situation changes, Imogen will inform me. For now, we do nothing. And before you object, Eva, that is my final word as head of this family. We will wait and see.”
12th September
When Gabrielle stepped off the plane into Kerlile, a stern-faced official turned to the Eirians who had delivered her, and instructed them to leave the country immediately. If they didn’t have enough fuel, they were welcome to stop off in Lauchenoiria, or anywhere else, but they were not welcome in the Matriarchy for one more second. Gabrielle was taken inside where her sister Eva awaited her.
Gabrielle, shaken, was taken back to the Pierre household while Eva informed her of the Council’s new order to deport any Eirian who did not pledge their loyalty to the Council and apply for Kerlian citizenship. During the whole drive, Eva chattered incessantly about all the ways they were going to make Eiria pay for their impertinence; not noticing that Gabrielle was shaken and withdrawn, and in no mood to listen to this.
Upon arrival at home, Gabrielle had pled exhaustion and retired upstairs, where she crept into her eldest sister Olivia’s room. When Olivia returned after work, she found Gabrielle asleep on her bed, the sheets stained with tears. Olivia curled up next to her sister and let her sleep.
The next morning, the pair woke, and Olivia gently washed her sister’s face and waited for the younger woman to talk on her own terms. After a while, Gabrielle began to tell Olivia what happened. “It’s not that I was scared or anything,” Gabrielle assured her sister over and over. “I don’t want you to think I’m weak. It’s just that Camille looked so lost, and it was just the indignity of it all!”
Olivia, who did not care if Gabrielle was weak, but knew how much the appearance of strength mattered to her sister, nodded throughout her sister’s explanation. Then she told Gabrielle it would be okay, fetched her sister a large pile of comfort food, and took Gabrielle back to her own bedroom, where she promptly fell back asleep for the second time, this time with chocolate cake smeared on the sheets in place of tears.
*
Pierre Household, Kerlile
Present Day
Olivia returned from the Council Archives, a thick pile of handwritten notes under her arms. The Archive still prohibited digital technology for security reasons. That had not stopped Olivia from carrying out her research, however. She had been sceptical, at first, of her country’s allegations against Eiria. It did not make sense to her, a democrat. Kerlile was the totalitarian mess she hoped to reform, while Eiria was a model liberal democracy.
She’d watched the video Imogen Robinson sent her mother nearly a hundred times, each time expecting something to jump out at her. She’d called Natasha Robinson and heard her side of the story. She had not managed to speak to Camille; apparently Carmen Robinson was prohibiting the minors under her roof from having any contact with Kerlile and Camille was less rebellious than Imogen.
It was her lack of contact with Camille that cemented Olivia’s opinion, in the end. There was something very rotten in the state of Eiria. It remained to be seen, however, if that rot was Eirian or imported from her own Kerlile, via Zongongia, in the shape of Carmen Robinson. Or both; both was always an option.
She’d begun her research, using her OMCP to study Eirian laws and attempt to work out exactly what had happened from a legal perspective. The research was damning for Carmen; it appeared blame could indeed be laid at the feet of the former Councillor. The woman her mother had granted mercy; when there was absolutely no precedent for such an act. Despite years of their families attempting to kill each other.
Olivia was naturally a Robinson sympathiser, especially over her own family. But Camille was her precious little sister, that she would endure anything to protect. And the idea that Camille was being forbidden to speak to her? Oh, Olivia was not happy. Suddenly, all the lessons her mother had tried to teach her as a child, about ruthlessness and survival, came flooding back, corrupting her from within.
Which was why she had gone to the Archive. The information she had found would ensure that Carmen Robinson posed no further threat to her family. It did not really matter if she was indeed a threat, but any possibility had to be eliminated.
“I have the information,” she informed her mother and sisters.
“Look, I’m not sure this is a good idea,” Gabrielle said hesitantly.
“I am,” Eva clapped gleefully. “Finally, Olivia, you’ve seen sense!”
Olivia’s conscience rose up, whispering words of alarm in her mind that her most authoritarian, somewhat sadistic sister agreed with this plan. That would have been the moment for Olivia to shove down her consciousness and become a true Pierre, but that would have been too cliché. No, instead, Olivia suddenly looked back at her own activities over the last week and became somewhat horrified. She dropped the pile of papers at her feet and blinked a few times.
“Okay, everyone,” Councillor Pauline said to her daughters, gesturing for Olivia to sit down. “Listen, I made a decision to grant mercy to Carmen Robinson. I do not regret that…”
“What!? She’s basically kidnapped our sister, your daughter! How can you still agree with that moment of weakness, Mother!?” Eva snapped.
“Eva, please,” Pauline said, pained. “This could not go on! You know this! The feud, all of it. I acted how I had to make things better for all of us. Camille being in Eiria is not Carmen Robinson’s fault; it’s mine! Because I agreed to Patel’s ultimatum with Alt-Ed! And scared her away.”
“No, it’s Olivia’s, for that stupid deal,” Eva glared at her elder sister.
“You’re both wrong!” Gabrielle snapped eventually, standing up. “It’s Zongongia’s! This whole thing is Zongongia’s fault! Who made Carmen even more paranoid? Zongongia. Who treated Natasha like a walking baby incubator? Zongongia. Who pretended to be a safe haven for wayward Daughters, and then turned that on its head? Zongongia! Eiria is a distraction, they are NOT the threat here.”
The other three Pierres stared at Gabrielle in surprise for a few moments.
“Blame shouldn’t matter,” Olivia said eventually. “What matters is how we ensure Camille’s safety. Preferably without the products of my momentary insanity,” she said, staring warily at the papers.
“Imogen Robinson claims that Camille does not, at present, wish to return to Kerlile,” Pauline spoke so quietly it was almost a whisper. “Therefore, we would be acting against her wishes if we acted in any way. If that situation changes, Imogen will inform me. For now, we do nothing. And before you object, Eva, that is my final word as head of this family. We will wait and see.”
LIDUN President 2024 | she/her | Puppets: Kerlile, Glanainn, Yesteria, Zongongia, Zargothrax