Aliyn Raven (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
aliyn_raven) wrote2023-04-16 11:30 pm
aliyn_raven) wrote2023-04-16 11:30 pm
Entry tags:
If you go hunting a tiger... (Chapter 7)
I never wanted to live in their world. They dragged me here by force. Well, let them learn to live in the reality that I will create from their world.
*****
Novel, modern urban fantasy, our world.
*****
Ajax, thanks for the preliminary reading.
Fatima already knew the answer, she looked for information about Dave Terence as soon as she read my letter.
And my whereabouts scared me more than the kidnapping.
Aeterna Saltus. Aesa for short. The special territory of the Republic of Alnorria, located on the border of the western and southern districts, has the status of a district, but it is called "special territory". They speak the northern dialect here, I could guess where I am, but I forgot about Aesa because this is one of those places on Earth where I would never want to go.
Aesa at the end of the 17th century was inhabited by religious fanatics, who were kicked out of their homelands by their own neighbors, since the unmoderated moderation didn't please normal people. But the Alnorrianishes have always loved the "golden mean", frantic epicureanism, as well as rabid asceticism, are equally unpleasant for us, therefore the Independents and their brothers in mind from other faiths didn't arouse sympathy from anyone. However, the Alnorrianishes have always been very practical as well, allowing fanatics to settle in the uninhabited lands and live there to their liking in exchange for the fanatics keeping the mountain roads constantly passable.
Alnorria is a small island, only 388'311 km2 (an easy number to remember, our schoolchildren were lucky), it was possible quickly to sail on a ship around it all in a circle even in those days, but at that time there were many battles in the Mediterranean Sea, much more than ever was in this eternally warring watery expanse. Therefore, small merchants, the backbone and driving force of Alnorria, were afraid to swim even along the coast. And no one ever wanted to cross the high mountains and deep gorges in the center of the island, and because the mountain valleys of Aeterna Saltus remained uninhabited for a long time.
Fanatics turned up in time under the arm of the parliament of Alnorria, and an agreement was concluded with them: "We don't ask what happens in the depths of the valleys, you build federal roads, keep them in order and don't interfere in the life of roadside taverns". This agreement is still in force today to a large extent. Aesa respects federal laws, but there are few of them, each district of Alnorria has its own parliament and its own constitution, its own Supreme Court — his verdict can be challenged in the Federal Court, but this is a very long process (although it is not hopeless!).
But I am here. And half of Aesa's land belongs to TGS and Dave.
I will never believe that my grandmother, even in a drunken stupor, could wish me to live in Aesa!
I tell everything for a long time, but in fact, all the memories and thoughts took a few seconds.
I said goodbye to Fatima and called my grandmother. I wake her up and scare her, but otherwise, she will suffer much more.
Granny answered after the third ring, and before I even had time to say hello, she said:
"You should stay in Terr-Court and don't go anywhere. Wait at least a month. This is necessary for your survival. My son is in Alnorria and he wants to kill you."
"What?!" I was taken aback. "But you only had my mother!"
"You already know about Rudlig,” granny said. "Dave couldn't help but tell you."
"I know," I replied. "But…"
I didn't finish, my thoughts were confused. And the granny said:
"I married a well-to-do man at the age of twenty, gave birth to a daughter, and two years later a son was born. I enjoyed the life of a housewoman without even thinking about studying and working. For fourteen years my marriage was quite decent, and my husband behaved adequately. But after that, he began to turn into a religious fanatic, an admirer of the president, and a domestic tyrant. Our lives have deteriorated, entertainment has disappeared, and my husband has stopped buying me fashionable clothes. We fought all the time. But I was afraid to get divorced. I tolerated his transformation into cattle for two years. And I got the inevitable. One day my husband hit me. And I realized that I must immediately save my life. Then Rudlig had not yet completely turned into a medieval dictatorship, and I was able to get a divorce, sue half of what was acquired in marriage, and move to another city, away from my ex-husband and his persecution. I bought a trading warehouse with the help of a good agency, rented it out to a store, and could continue the life of a well-to-do housewoman. The daughter left with me, and the son took the side of the father."
"I understand," I said. Then I figured out the dates, recalled some history lessons from school, and asked: "Shortly after your divorce, Rudlig began to pass those terrible laws that turned it into a dictatorship? And your son is completely..." I hesitated, but told the truth: "Has he lost his mind?"
"Dictatorship in the full sense of the word began later, but your mother was a very smart and active child, she was interested in things that fifteen-year-olds usually don't care about. It was she who insisted that soon everything would get worse, that it was necessary to learn languages and leave for a normal country. I admitted that she was right, but I had no idea how I would look for a job. My property was wealth only for Rudlig, and it is just funds for a few weeks of a good life in Europe or America. But more importantly, I didn't know how to persuade Diongus to leave his father and come to me. I studied English and French because my lover said they were the most beneficial for emigrating, and my daughter wanted more language practice, she needed to speak English and French at home. So three years passed, and the situation became critical. My lover was a good programmer, but he didn't have a diploma and official work experience, because he ran away from his drunker parents at the age of thirteen."
"Was he your kept guy?" I was surprised. "A woman has every right to buy toyboys but this isn't your style. You don't like weaklings."
"Oh no," granny laughed. "He wasn't a whore. At first, Tiasiy lived in gaming clubs, earned money by the exaltation of characters, and at the age of sixteen, as soon as he received a passport and the right to a bank account, he rented an apartment and began working in the creation of indie games. He was twenty by the time we met, he didn't need money, he had his own apartment, car and stable good fees, and therefore he was too lazy to get an education and look for a job under a contract. We met for three years, and our lives suited us, and we would continue to talk about emigration, without doing anything about this, only once every six months we flew on tourist visas for a few days to France and the US. We were afraid of change, afraid to decide. We had our cozy shell, and we did not even dare to stick our noses out of it, although Rudlig was getting worse day by day, the president constantly limited little by little progress and freedom. However, we told ourselves that everything would be fine. But the Day of the Seven Laws happened, after which it became dangerous to stay in Rudlig. A housewoman and an illegal programmer decided they would never find a job and needed a workaround."
Granny sighed.
"There are going to be some very ugly things to come. The current problems are largely generated by our decision."
"Did you forge documents?" I understood.
"Almost. The news was just saying that in one of the southern cities of Alnorria there was a strong earthquake. There was no exact information about who died and who survived. Tiasiy hacked the website of the district registration service and found among the lists of citizens a single guy and a married couple with no relatives who had an eighteen-year-old daughter. All were descendants of Filipino settlers and were of the same age as us, only the birthdays were different. It is easy to find a double in the metropolis. And they all didn't use social media much, so there was no one to point out the difference in our faces. In the confusion, no one can tell a refugee from a volunteer, and the northern dialect of Alnorria is English in practically, archaic compared to British or American, but in the north of Alnorria, no one will be surprised that the southerners speak standard English instead of a dialect."
"Yes," I agreed. "There is such a thing. Northern Alnorrianishes never study English, they switch to it after a couple of hours of training. And no one will ask why a southerner does not know either the southern dialect or Italian. As long as you can talk to social services and your neighbors, no one cares if you know any other language."
"I quickly, at a reduced price, sold the apartment, the warehouse and the car, closed the bank account and bought gold jewelry with all the money, hung them all on myself. Many women are hung with blings like a Christmas tree in Rudlig, that's why no one paid attention to me in the customs of Rudlig. Tiasiy bought the shares and somehow arranged anonymous access for them. We flew as tourists to Turkey, and there the customs officers also didn't pay attention to the gilded savage woman, they see such people every day. Tiasiy and I hired a little yacht that took us illegally to Alnorria. We have become missing for Turkey and Rudlig, and new citizens have appeared in Alnorria. In the chaos that was then going on at the crash site, no one was surprised that the dead were alive. There were many such cases. But…"
Granny sighed bitterly.
"When we saw what was in this city… Woe of people, destruction. The photographs didn't convey even half of the nightmare. We acted disgustingly. We could leave differently. We could spend ninety days as tourists in the same Turkey, find a job using the internet in Europe — this term is more than sufficient, and indie companies and all sorts of chocolate shops are not demanding diplomas, the governments of European countries are not too greedy in the area of their own analogs of the "profession libérale" visa, in other words, talent-without-diploma-and-experience… If you have a good portfolio… However, we were afraid of difficulties and did mean things. Tiasiy two days later gave all the shares to help the victims of the earthquake and committed suicide. I also wanted this all the time, but I had a frightened daughter who should not suffer because of my stupidity and cowardice. And I had a son who I was supposed to drag into a good country as the fetus of my old adultery, which remained in Rudlig. I gave half of the gold to the relief fund and drove north. But due to chance, I found a job in a pastry shop in Weissberg."
Granny sighed heavily again and continued her story:
"I was on duty in the kitchen in the refugee camp and made some sweets for the children. And one of the volunteers immediately took me to her relative, who needed an assistant in a pastry shop. I didn't know a word in the western dialect of Alnorria or German, but that didn't surprise anyone. An ex-housewife had every right to live within her own neighborhood and speak only the language of the diaspora. The owner of the confectionery, a very nice old woman, spoke a fluent northern dialect and did not distinguish the Philippines from Algeria. But she needed a person who was good at making French cakes and Arabic jalebis. I have always loved making sweet pastries and homemade chocolate, I liked using a variety of recipes, and the owner of the candy shop was delighted with my skills. She was a kind woman and helped what she thought was a refugee with finding an apartment and language courses. After a while, she said that she was tired and wanted to retire, but she was depressed at the thought that the new owner would turn the candy shop into a video rental shop or laundry. And I asked her to make a recommendation about me for a bank. So I got a loan and became the owner of a store and an apartment. I spent the gold that I had left on small but useful improvements, and the store became quite successful, I paid off all debts for a year. And just at that moment, my daughter Feonia, who was now Nancy, met Albert Terrent."
Granny muttered a swear word and said:
"I told her that this rich puppy would be of no use, but she imagined herself to be Cinderella and didn't hear a single word."
"I understand," I said. "And it’s not for me to judge whether you acted badly or well. I don't know how I would have acted in such a situation."
"I learned from my mistakes," Granny replied. "You have a profession, you know how to earn money, you rely only on yourself and are not afraid of change."
"Tell me about Diongus," I asked. "Why do you say he wants to kill me?"
"I wrote him letters and emails, and I promised help in escaping from Rudlig and legalization in Alnorria. When he came of age, I began to persuade him to come for family reunification, but he didn't answer. And once he demanded to forget about him, or he would report me to the authorities of Alnorria. I wasn't afraid for myself, but Nancy and you... I couldn't risk it. I didn't know anything about Diongus for a long time. And a year ago, when covid restrictions eased, my grandson Gregor, son of Diongus, sent me my letters. And he asked me to do for him what I promised his father."
"And you didn't tell me anything?" I was outraged.
"It was illegal again. I bought a private flight, flew to the Philippines and paid smugglers to bring Gregor to me. There it is a long-standing and well-established service - to arrange for a Rudligish to escape from the country. And then I illegally brought Gregor to Alnorria on another private flight, placed him with the migrants, then helped him get arrested by the migration police and sent a lawyer. Alnorria deported only adults, and even then not always, but the court could not help but leave a fourteen-year-old child in the country, and the social service placed him in a foster family. Gregor told the police that he himself ran away from home and hid on a cargo ship with migrants, he himself escaped from it in the port and tried to get caught by the police in order to ask them to protect him from his family. They believed him.
"It's like an adventure novel," I said with shock.
Granny chuckled and replied:
"Such a scam cost me dearly, I pawned a confectionery and an apartment, but it was worth it. Gregor quickly received a scholarship to a private boarding school. He was capable and played the violin in the church band. Gregor wanted to learn to play the guitar banned in Rudlig and learn modern rock vocals, he wanted to learn how to dance. He got it all at school. But Diongus tracked him down through social media."
"Oh shit!" I gasped, guessing what happened next. And the granny said:
"Gregor didn't mention me or you anywhere, did not try to communicate with us, and spoke to me only via instant messengers, but Diongus could easily put two and two together. He arrived in Alnorria and killed Gregor. Diongus swore to kill me and you. The police are looking for him, they will soon arrest him. He'll get a life sentence, and then you'll be safe. But right now you need good security. Diongus wouldn't venture into Terr-Court. An expensive hospital and a health resort hotel for those who want to remain anonymous are also too tough for him."
"This is madness," I said.
"Yes," granny agreed. "This is madness. I wanted to save my grandson and granddaughter from him, but there was too much madness."
"What is your real name?" I asked.
"Gregor's and Diongus' surnames are Tinoliadis. And I'm Olivia Kelvin. And only Olivia Kelvin!"
"I understand you."
"Diongus has turned into a maniac," granny said. "I hate to admit it, but it's true. Therefore, stay under guard until he is arrested and watches the press."
"Okay," I replied. "I'll sit in Terr-Court and wait for Diongus to be arrested."
I didn't intend to do this, but I didn't want to worry my granny. Her health is really very bad. She is only sixty, but she has lived too long in Rudlig, and the crappy ecology of an underdeveloped country greatly destroys the body. I want to save granny! It is better to press the police through the media so that the case of Diongus Tinoliadis is transferred to the more prompt Republican Security Service.
There was still some money left on the phone, for one SOS-sms. I set it up to be sent to Fatima.
Now sleep. After all the news, I felt exhausted and overwhelmed.
When the convoyers began pounding on the bedroom door, it seemed to me that I had slept for only one minute. And when I looked at the alarm clock, which was on the nightstand by the bed, I cursed very rudely. Five in the morning! Are they crazy?
I covered my head with a second pillow and tried to fall asleep again. But the convoyers broke into the bedroom through the servants' door.
"Young miss!" James' voice almost made my head explode, he was so nasty. "The lady gets up early to make herself worthy appearance for first breakfast."
"My appearance is always worthy because it is mine!" I snapped. "And you don't dare interfere with me until I call you."
"Herrin…" Helmut began, but I threw the alarm clock at him and a slipper flew at James. I missed both, but James and Helmut escaped at the speed of light.
That is great. I buried myself in the pillow and fell asleep.
I slept until eight in the morning and was not even much late for the first breakfast. To my surprise, there was a light salad and low-fat yogurt on the food table. Dave didn't comment on it in any way, he only said that yesterday's circumstances prevented me from undergoing a medical examination, and today the doctor will come to Joyterr.
I forgot with all the shit that happened to me that there was supposed to be testing. James said "It's scheduled for tomorrow", while I was looking at the catalogs, that is, it was the day before yesterday. But yesterday, Eleanor doused me with paint, and I had to wash for a long time.
"Oh yes," I said. "I necessarily need a doctor. What if the paint is toxic? I asked about a doctor yesterday."
Eleanor tensed up, but Dave continued to pick at the plate as if nothing had happened. But Chris said:
"This is a common interior paint, odorless, and safe for humans."
"The amount of compensation that the TGS should add to the inheritance has doubled," I replied. "Now it's five million six hundred thousand brangs under a pre-trial agreement. Or eleven million two hundred thousand ones the court."
Eleanor twisted with rage, but she said nothing. And Dave replied:
"Things like this are discussed in the office. I will receive you after the second breakfast."
"Ladies sleep during the day," Chris said. And I gasped:
"What does "sleep" mean? Like in "Gone with the Wind"? Do you know what year it is?"
"A lady remains a lady," Dave snapped. "And you should get used to it quickly."
"I'm not a brainless cowardly Melanie Hamilton to live like the sow."
Dave chuckled.
"All women adore Rhett Butler and hate Melanie Wilkes, whom he greatly respected and called the true lady. Is it jealousy?"
"Rhett Butler needs to be kicked away from yourself," I said. "And not because he left Scarlet in the middle of the road. Right there, he was completely right. But otherwise, he is a manipulator and abuser with a sadistic streak. That's why he drooled over Melanie as an ideal victim and a doormat. And Melanie wretchedly carried a torch for wacky Scarlett and is beastly dead from childbirth that was obviously dangerous for her, instead of declaring herself an old maid, getting all the independence due to them, and living happily with an adequate companioness or even with two. And there were ways to prevent pregnancy or make early miscarriage in those days, too, so if Melanie Hamilton needed this worthless Ashley Wilkes so much, she could avoid suffering from reproduction."
Dave listened to me with an impenetrable look. And said:
"You're jealous of Mitchell."
"The novel by Mitchell is brilliant and immortal precisely because it perfectly showed how the wind carried away the trash that no one needed. And those who wanted to live among people had to change a lot."
Dave looked at me searchingly.
"Meeting at one o'clock in the afternoon in my office." And he left. Eleanor left her half-eaten omelet and ran after him.
And Helmut told me that a doctor was waiting for me.
"He will wait some more," I replied. "I'll have breakfast first."
They didn't argue with me. The convoyers gradually began to realize that I didn't need all this and that I didn't owe anything to anyone here. And the medical examination was strange. The doctor didn't bring a portable tomograph with him (I saw one in the series about an ambulance) or something like that, and didn't take blood from me. He was not a doctor at all, but some kind of chakra-scanning charlatan. Yes, he directly said that he would scan the chakras, and poked me with something like a microphone connected to a laptop. Dave's mind is completely off.
But I don't give a damn. It is necessary to use big and other people's money for your own benefit, and not waste time thinking about stupid things.
"This mausoleum is full of people," I told my convoyers. "And there's bound to be an Old-Alnorrian language specialist. I want to practice in it."
The convoyers were taken aback. I was surprised: Old-Alnorrian has been in vogue in recent years, in the east of the country they are even trying to revive it as the language of everyday communication and make it the fourth state language. I don't think it's possible to bring back something that fell into disuse three hundred years ago, but clients often want inscriptions on cakes and chocolate cards in Old-Alnorrian, so in the poet's courses we studied a little this language, trained in calligraphy and in ways to connect the letters of the word into a ligature according to canonical rules — residents of medieval Alnorria liked to stuff a word or even a phrase onto rings and buckles, so the art of ligatures was very much appreciated.
An inheritance, a compensation, a court — it isn't known whether this will be successful or not but the ability to write in Old-Alnorrian will be valuable for a long time to come. And this thing is needed not only for a candy shop: any design firm will jump on such an employee since no AI can handle Old-Alnorrian. Because I don't want to forget what I know. In addition, studying Old-Alnorrian is an expensive pleasure, there are few qualified teachers, and the preparation was so-so in the courses, online learning was also not encouraging. And Dave can't have a great specialist.
Helmut started to say that Old-Alnorrian was not a lady's business, but I told him to shut up and follow orders.
"The Chairman won't approve of this," James said. "And you need his support for your grandmother."
https://www.wattpad.com/story/330893564-if-you-go-hunting-a-tiger
https://archiveofourown.org/works/44014216
*****
Novel, modern urban fantasy, our world.
*****
Ajax, thanks for the preliminary reading.
Fatima already knew the answer, she looked for information about Dave Terence as soon as she read my letter.
And my whereabouts scared me more than the kidnapping.
Aeterna Saltus. Aesa for short. The special territory of the Republic of Alnorria, located on the border of the western and southern districts, has the status of a district, but it is called "special territory". They speak the northern dialect here, I could guess where I am, but I forgot about Aesa because this is one of those places on Earth where I would never want to go.
Aesa at the end of the 17th century was inhabited by religious fanatics, who were kicked out of their homelands by their own neighbors, since the unmoderated moderation didn't please normal people. But the Alnorrianishes have always loved the "golden mean", frantic epicureanism, as well as rabid asceticism, are equally unpleasant for us, therefore the Independents and their brothers in mind from other faiths didn't arouse sympathy from anyone. However, the Alnorrianishes have always been very practical as well, allowing fanatics to settle in the uninhabited lands and live there to their liking in exchange for the fanatics keeping the mountain roads constantly passable.
Alnorria is a small island, only 388'311 km2 (an easy number to remember, our schoolchildren were lucky), it was possible quickly to sail on a ship around it all in a circle even in those days, but at that time there were many battles in the Mediterranean Sea, much more than ever was in this eternally warring watery expanse. Therefore, small merchants, the backbone and driving force of Alnorria, were afraid to swim even along the coast. And no one ever wanted to cross the high mountains and deep gorges in the center of the island, and because the mountain valleys of Aeterna Saltus remained uninhabited for a long time.
Fanatics turned up in time under the arm of the parliament of Alnorria, and an agreement was concluded with them: "We don't ask what happens in the depths of the valleys, you build federal roads, keep them in order and don't interfere in the life of roadside taverns". This agreement is still in force today to a large extent. Aesa respects federal laws, but there are few of them, each district of Alnorria has its own parliament and its own constitution, its own Supreme Court — his verdict can be challenged in the Federal Court, but this is a very long process (although it is not hopeless!).
But I am here. And half of Aesa's land belongs to TGS and Dave.
I will never believe that my grandmother, even in a drunken stupor, could wish me to live in Aesa!
I tell everything for a long time, but in fact, all the memories and thoughts took a few seconds.
I said goodbye to Fatima and called my grandmother. I wake her up and scare her, but otherwise, she will suffer much more.
Granny answered after the third ring, and before I even had time to say hello, she said:
"You should stay in Terr-Court and don't go anywhere. Wait at least a month. This is necessary for your survival. My son is in Alnorria and he wants to kill you."
"What?!" I was taken aback. "But you only had my mother!"
"You already know about Rudlig,” granny said. "Dave couldn't help but tell you."
"I know," I replied. "But…"
I didn't finish, my thoughts were confused. And the granny said:
"I married a well-to-do man at the age of twenty, gave birth to a daughter, and two years later a son was born. I enjoyed the life of a housewoman without even thinking about studying and working. For fourteen years my marriage was quite decent, and my husband behaved adequately. But after that, he began to turn into a religious fanatic, an admirer of the president, and a domestic tyrant. Our lives have deteriorated, entertainment has disappeared, and my husband has stopped buying me fashionable clothes. We fought all the time. But I was afraid to get divorced. I tolerated his transformation into cattle for two years. And I got the inevitable. One day my husband hit me. And I realized that I must immediately save my life. Then Rudlig had not yet completely turned into a medieval dictatorship, and I was able to get a divorce, sue half of what was acquired in marriage, and move to another city, away from my ex-husband and his persecution. I bought a trading warehouse with the help of a good agency, rented it out to a store, and could continue the life of a well-to-do housewoman. The daughter left with me, and the son took the side of the father."
"I understand," I said. Then I figured out the dates, recalled some history lessons from school, and asked: "Shortly after your divorce, Rudlig began to pass those terrible laws that turned it into a dictatorship? And your son is completely..." I hesitated, but told the truth: "Has he lost his mind?"
"Dictatorship in the full sense of the word began later, but your mother was a very smart and active child, she was interested in things that fifteen-year-olds usually don't care about. It was she who insisted that soon everything would get worse, that it was necessary to learn languages and leave for a normal country. I admitted that she was right, but I had no idea how I would look for a job. My property was wealth only for Rudlig, and it is just funds for a few weeks of a good life in Europe or America. But more importantly, I didn't know how to persuade Diongus to leave his father and come to me. I studied English and French because my lover said they were the most beneficial for emigrating, and my daughter wanted more language practice, she needed to speak English and French at home. So three years passed, and the situation became critical. My lover was a good programmer, but he didn't have a diploma and official work experience, because he ran away from his drunker parents at the age of thirteen."
"Was he your kept guy?" I was surprised. "A woman has every right to buy toyboys but this isn't your style. You don't like weaklings."
"Oh no," granny laughed. "He wasn't a whore. At first, Tiasiy lived in gaming clubs, earned money by the exaltation of characters, and at the age of sixteen, as soon as he received a passport and the right to a bank account, he rented an apartment and began working in the creation of indie games. He was twenty by the time we met, he didn't need money, he had his own apartment, car and stable good fees, and therefore he was too lazy to get an education and look for a job under a contract. We met for three years, and our lives suited us, and we would continue to talk about emigration, without doing anything about this, only once every six months we flew on tourist visas for a few days to France and the US. We were afraid of change, afraid to decide. We had our cozy shell, and we did not even dare to stick our noses out of it, although Rudlig was getting worse day by day, the president constantly limited little by little progress and freedom. However, we told ourselves that everything would be fine. But the Day of the Seven Laws happened, after which it became dangerous to stay in Rudlig. A housewoman and an illegal programmer decided they would never find a job and needed a workaround."
Granny sighed.
"There are going to be some very ugly things to come. The current problems are largely generated by our decision."
"Did you forge documents?" I understood.
"Almost. The news was just saying that in one of the southern cities of Alnorria there was a strong earthquake. There was no exact information about who died and who survived. Tiasiy hacked the website of the district registration service and found among the lists of citizens a single guy and a married couple with no relatives who had an eighteen-year-old daughter. All were descendants of Filipino settlers and were of the same age as us, only the birthdays were different. It is easy to find a double in the metropolis. And they all didn't use social media much, so there was no one to point out the difference in our faces. In the confusion, no one can tell a refugee from a volunteer, and the northern dialect of Alnorria is English in practically, archaic compared to British or American, but in the north of Alnorria, no one will be surprised that the southerners speak standard English instead of a dialect."
"Yes," I agreed. "There is such a thing. Northern Alnorrianishes never study English, they switch to it after a couple of hours of training. And no one will ask why a southerner does not know either the southern dialect or Italian. As long as you can talk to social services and your neighbors, no one cares if you know any other language."
"I quickly, at a reduced price, sold the apartment, the warehouse and the car, closed the bank account and bought gold jewelry with all the money, hung them all on myself. Many women are hung with blings like a Christmas tree in Rudlig, that's why no one paid attention to me in the customs of Rudlig. Tiasiy bought the shares and somehow arranged anonymous access for them. We flew as tourists to Turkey, and there the customs officers also didn't pay attention to the gilded savage woman, they see such people every day. Tiasiy and I hired a little yacht that took us illegally to Alnorria. We have become missing for Turkey and Rudlig, and new citizens have appeared in Alnorria. In the chaos that was then going on at the crash site, no one was surprised that the dead were alive. There were many such cases. But…"
Granny sighed bitterly.
"When we saw what was in this city… Woe of people, destruction. The photographs didn't convey even half of the nightmare. We acted disgustingly. We could leave differently. We could spend ninety days as tourists in the same Turkey, find a job using the internet in Europe — this term is more than sufficient, and indie companies and all sorts of chocolate shops are not demanding diplomas, the governments of European countries are not too greedy in the area of their own analogs of the "profession libérale" visa, in other words, talent-without-diploma-and-experience… If you have a good portfolio… However, we were afraid of difficulties and did mean things. Tiasiy two days later gave all the shares to help the victims of the earthquake and committed suicide. I also wanted this all the time, but I had a frightened daughter who should not suffer because of my stupidity and cowardice. And I had a son who I was supposed to drag into a good country as the fetus of my old adultery, which remained in Rudlig. I gave half of the gold to the relief fund and drove north. But due to chance, I found a job in a pastry shop in Weissberg."
Granny sighed heavily again and continued her story:
"I was on duty in the kitchen in the refugee camp and made some sweets for the children. And one of the volunteers immediately took me to her relative, who needed an assistant in a pastry shop. I didn't know a word in the western dialect of Alnorria or German, but that didn't surprise anyone. An ex-housewife had every right to live within her own neighborhood and speak only the language of the diaspora. The owner of the confectionery, a very nice old woman, spoke a fluent northern dialect and did not distinguish the Philippines from Algeria. But she needed a person who was good at making French cakes and Arabic jalebis. I have always loved making sweet pastries and homemade chocolate, I liked using a variety of recipes, and the owner of the candy shop was delighted with my skills. She was a kind woman and helped what she thought was a refugee with finding an apartment and language courses. After a while, she said that she was tired and wanted to retire, but she was depressed at the thought that the new owner would turn the candy shop into a video rental shop or laundry. And I asked her to make a recommendation about me for a bank. So I got a loan and became the owner of a store and an apartment. I spent the gold that I had left on small but useful improvements, and the store became quite successful, I paid off all debts for a year. And just at that moment, my daughter Feonia, who was now Nancy, met Albert Terrent."
Granny muttered a swear word and said:
"I told her that this rich puppy would be of no use, but she imagined herself to be Cinderella and didn't hear a single word."
"I understand," I said. "And it’s not for me to judge whether you acted badly or well. I don't know how I would have acted in such a situation."
"I learned from my mistakes," Granny replied. "You have a profession, you know how to earn money, you rely only on yourself and are not afraid of change."
"Tell me about Diongus," I asked. "Why do you say he wants to kill me?"
"I wrote him letters and emails, and I promised help in escaping from Rudlig and legalization in Alnorria. When he came of age, I began to persuade him to come for family reunification, but he didn't answer. And once he demanded to forget about him, or he would report me to the authorities of Alnorria. I wasn't afraid for myself, but Nancy and you... I couldn't risk it. I didn't know anything about Diongus for a long time. And a year ago, when covid restrictions eased, my grandson Gregor, son of Diongus, sent me my letters. And he asked me to do for him what I promised his father."
"And you didn't tell me anything?" I was outraged.
"It was illegal again. I bought a private flight, flew to the Philippines and paid smugglers to bring Gregor to me. There it is a long-standing and well-established service - to arrange for a Rudligish to escape from the country. And then I illegally brought Gregor to Alnorria on another private flight, placed him with the migrants, then helped him get arrested by the migration police and sent a lawyer. Alnorria deported only adults, and even then not always, but the court could not help but leave a fourteen-year-old child in the country, and the social service placed him in a foster family. Gregor told the police that he himself ran away from home and hid on a cargo ship with migrants, he himself escaped from it in the port and tried to get caught by the police in order to ask them to protect him from his family. They believed him.
"It's like an adventure novel," I said with shock.
Granny chuckled and replied:
"Such a scam cost me dearly, I pawned a confectionery and an apartment, but it was worth it. Gregor quickly received a scholarship to a private boarding school. He was capable and played the violin in the church band. Gregor wanted to learn to play the guitar banned in Rudlig and learn modern rock vocals, he wanted to learn how to dance. He got it all at school. But Diongus tracked him down through social media."
"Oh shit!" I gasped, guessing what happened next. And the granny said:
"Gregor didn't mention me or you anywhere, did not try to communicate with us, and spoke to me only via instant messengers, but Diongus could easily put two and two together. He arrived in Alnorria and killed Gregor. Diongus swore to kill me and you. The police are looking for him, they will soon arrest him. He'll get a life sentence, and then you'll be safe. But right now you need good security. Diongus wouldn't venture into Terr-Court. An expensive hospital and a health resort hotel for those who want to remain anonymous are also too tough for him."
"This is madness," I said.
"Yes," granny agreed. "This is madness. I wanted to save my grandson and granddaughter from him, but there was too much madness."
"What is your real name?" I asked.
"Gregor's and Diongus' surnames are Tinoliadis. And I'm Olivia Kelvin. And only Olivia Kelvin!"
"I understand you."
"Diongus has turned into a maniac," granny said. "I hate to admit it, but it's true. Therefore, stay under guard until he is arrested and watches the press."
"Okay," I replied. "I'll sit in Terr-Court and wait for Diongus to be arrested."
I didn't intend to do this, but I didn't want to worry my granny. Her health is really very bad. She is only sixty, but she has lived too long in Rudlig, and the crappy ecology of an underdeveloped country greatly destroys the body. I want to save granny! It is better to press the police through the media so that the case of Diongus Tinoliadis is transferred to the more prompt Republican Security Service.
There was still some money left on the phone, for one SOS-sms. I set it up to be sent to Fatima.
Now sleep. After all the news, I felt exhausted and overwhelmed.
When the convoyers began pounding on the bedroom door, it seemed to me that I had slept for only one minute. And when I looked at the alarm clock, which was on the nightstand by the bed, I cursed very rudely. Five in the morning! Are they crazy?
I covered my head with a second pillow and tried to fall asleep again. But the convoyers broke into the bedroom through the servants' door.
"Young miss!" James' voice almost made my head explode, he was so nasty. "The lady gets up early to make herself worthy appearance for first breakfast."
"My appearance is always worthy because it is mine!" I snapped. "And you don't dare interfere with me until I call you."
"Herrin…" Helmut began, but I threw the alarm clock at him and a slipper flew at James. I missed both, but James and Helmut escaped at the speed of light.
That is great. I buried myself in the pillow and fell asleep.
I slept until eight in the morning and was not even much late for the first breakfast. To my surprise, there was a light salad and low-fat yogurt on the food table. Dave didn't comment on it in any way, he only said that yesterday's circumstances prevented me from undergoing a medical examination, and today the doctor will come to Joyterr.
I forgot with all the shit that happened to me that there was supposed to be testing. James said "It's scheduled for tomorrow", while I was looking at the catalogs, that is, it was the day before yesterday. But yesterday, Eleanor doused me with paint, and I had to wash for a long time.
"Oh yes," I said. "I necessarily need a doctor. What if the paint is toxic? I asked about a doctor yesterday."
Eleanor tensed up, but Dave continued to pick at the plate as if nothing had happened. But Chris said:
"This is a common interior paint, odorless, and safe for humans."
"The amount of compensation that the TGS should add to the inheritance has doubled," I replied. "Now it's five million six hundred thousand brangs under a pre-trial agreement. Or eleven million two hundred thousand ones the court."
Eleanor twisted with rage, but she said nothing. And Dave replied:
"Things like this are discussed in the office. I will receive you after the second breakfast."
"Ladies sleep during the day," Chris said. And I gasped:
"What does "sleep" mean? Like in "Gone with the Wind"? Do you know what year it is?"
"A lady remains a lady," Dave snapped. "And you should get used to it quickly."
"I'm not a brainless cowardly Melanie Hamilton to live like the sow."
Dave chuckled.
"All women adore Rhett Butler and hate Melanie Wilkes, whom he greatly respected and called the true lady. Is it jealousy?"
"Rhett Butler needs to be kicked away from yourself," I said. "And not because he left Scarlet in the middle of the road. Right there, he was completely right. But otherwise, he is a manipulator and abuser with a sadistic streak. That's why he drooled over Melanie as an ideal victim and a doormat. And Melanie wretchedly carried a torch for wacky Scarlett and is beastly dead from childbirth that was obviously dangerous for her, instead of declaring herself an old maid, getting all the independence due to them, and living happily with an adequate companioness or even with two. And there were ways to prevent pregnancy or make early miscarriage in those days, too, so if Melanie Hamilton needed this worthless Ashley Wilkes so much, she could avoid suffering from reproduction."
Dave listened to me with an impenetrable look. And said:
"You're jealous of Mitchell."
"The novel by Mitchell is brilliant and immortal precisely because it perfectly showed how the wind carried away the trash that no one needed. And those who wanted to live among people had to change a lot."
Dave looked at me searchingly.
"Meeting at one o'clock in the afternoon in my office." And he left. Eleanor left her half-eaten omelet and ran after him.
And Helmut told me that a doctor was waiting for me.
"He will wait some more," I replied. "I'll have breakfast first."
They didn't argue with me. The convoyers gradually began to realize that I didn't need all this and that I didn't owe anything to anyone here. And the medical examination was strange. The doctor didn't bring a portable tomograph with him (I saw one in the series about an ambulance) or something like that, and didn't take blood from me. He was not a doctor at all, but some kind of chakra-scanning charlatan. Yes, he directly said that he would scan the chakras, and poked me with something like a microphone connected to a laptop. Dave's mind is completely off.
But I don't give a damn. It is necessary to use big and other people's money for your own benefit, and not waste time thinking about stupid things.
"This mausoleum is full of people," I told my convoyers. "And there's bound to be an Old-Alnorrian language specialist. I want to practice in it."
The convoyers were taken aback. I was surprised: Old-Alnorrian has been in vogue in recent years, in the east of the country they are even trying to revive it as the language of everyday communication and make it the fourth state language. I don't think it's possible to bring back something that fell into disuse three hundred years ago, but clients often want inscriptions on cakes and chocolate cards in Old-Alnorrian, so in the poet's courses we studied a little this language, trained in calligraphy and in ways to connect the letters of the word into a ligature according to canonical rules — residents of medieval Alnorria liked to stuff a word or even a phrase onto rings and buckles, so the art of ligatures was very much appreciated.
An inheritance, a compensation, a court — it isn't known whether this will be successful or not but the ability to write in Old-Alnorrian will be valuable for a long time to come. And this thing is needed not only for a candy shop: any design firm will jump on such an employee since no AI can handle Old-Alnorrian. Because I don't want to forget what I know. In addition, studying Old-Alnorrian is an expensive pleasure, there are few qualified teachers, and the preparation was so-so in the courses, online learning was also not encouraging. And Dave can't have a great specialist.
Helmut started to say that Old-Alnorrian was not a lady's business, but I told him to shut up and follow orders.
"The Chairman won't approve of this," James said. "And you need his support for your grandmother."
https://www.wattpad.com/story/330893564-if-you-go-hunting-a-tiger
https://archiveofourown.org/works/44014216