Somewhere else…
It had enjoyed watching Tanya, believe it or not, it had gotten a little bored of several centuries of nothing but praise. This salaryman-turned-soldier still defied it, no matter what was thrown against her. He had prepared someone worthy to fight her; another, blessed with his gift and equally if not more powerful than her. Mary Sioux would be the true representation of faith, Tanya would be the opposite. It would be epic…
But now its plans had come to ruin. He had wanted to save Tanya, to offer her salvation and have her rise from the ashes like a phoenix and become it's prophet on the mortal pane. Yet such blatant favouritism was not allowed by The High Council of Heaven, overpowered artefacts were one thing, but this was a whole other matter.
So he watched her burn as the hotel her mage platoon was staying in collapsed in the blaze of fire that engulfed Dresden. It had expected the girl to finally bend, to beg for forgiveness and respite as her body slowly turned black and burned away. Yet no such sound came, for the girl had died of asphyxiation and overheating a mere moment before she even noticed his presence. It was too late.
For it the whole event was like a game, ended too soon. It enjoyed watching the girl suffer as she tried to defy it. It was a limited entertainment in this world of his where all praised him and died with his holy word as they died… No, he refused to allow its entertainment to end.
So he asked for clarification. "Honourable councillors, is there any way to reincarnate her soul now that she has passed?"
"Yes, you may take her soul from the stream and return it to your world. The only condition to this is that she may not retain any memories of what happened earlier, should you accept this you may do as you please" replied the cloudy silhouettes of the Council; the highest beings in all of heaven, responsible for all gods and dimensions of this existence.
So here he was, watching as the girl was reborn from her mother…
He would have to find some other excuse to return her memories.
30th of October 1933
Tanya stood in her father's office at the mill as talked to a foreman about something; she assumed it had to do with the recent strike. The one that happened about a month ago which resulted in the strike's organisers being fired and all the participants receiving half-wage for the week.
She'd been walking earlier in the week to find a poster of her family depicted with bloody knives In their chests and the slogan 'death to the capitalist!' written in red with the seal of the Russy Communist party just below it.
She'd asked her father about it but he refused to comment, instead paying a few people to remove any such posters. She found this odd as her father had always been very open with her about his dealings; yet now he was growing more and more secretive…
'Oh well' thought she as she made her way back 'I should stop thinking about this and instead concentrate on making my way to Viktoriya's'
She passed a few workers also heading back from their lunch break and was let by with no fuss. They respected her for sure; she'd asked her father if she could learn to operate some of the machines, he had no qualms with that so now alongside her lessons with father she helped the workers with the operations of some machines, acting as a foreman of sorts.
Of course, her father had been pleased when he heard that, even if he disagreed with her choice to work alongside the commoners he still appreciated the need to learn leadership and management skills 'outside the classroom' and thus encouraged her to continue…
Now she was in front of Viktoriya's house. It was a bit grander in design as well as being situated right on the outskirts of town unlike theirs which was a more rural place. Hence when she rang the doorbell the staff let her in immediately, given that she came over every few days just for a chat or whatever.
Thanking the servant who let her in she headed upstairs to Visha's room, covering the two floors of staircase quietly as to not disturb whatever affairs her parents and staff were engaged in and opened the girl's door "Good evening Viktoriya!" she greeted as the girl opposite her put down the book she was reading and gestured her in.
She wore a simple evening gown, obviously intending to go to bed soon. Her walnut brown hair and blue eyes reflecting the lamp's light to give them a shine unusual in the rough red brick of this industrial town. "Hello Tanya, what's with the clothes?" she asked, pointing to her current attire.
"Oh nothing, I've started helping out as a foreman in the works" Tanya noticed just what she was pointing at "Oh, you mean the trousers? They're so I don't get my dress dirty with the oil and stuff. Father said he'd have a pair tailored to me a little later! Oh, I'm quite excited about it given just how warm and comfortable these are compared to some of my dresses. And this is the stuff the common worker wears, can you imagine the more expensive versions?"
"I suppose so, but my mother would never allow me to wear such a thing, at this point she's gotten me so many different dresses and corsets I don't know what to do with them anymore!" she sighed, fanning herself with the book "And I'm expected to be looking for suitors too! I'm only just turning 18 as it is and she's already set up two prospectives for me to meet them this weekend!"
"Well… at least I have prospects as a factory owner once my father steps down. I actually feel kinda bad for you. I may not have any chance to meet prince charming but you have that chance but are denied it by your parents. I mean all I can advise here is to go out and meet people more. Find someone you actually like, perhaps then it won't be as bad?"
Her suggestion did not help much and Visha slumped into her chair "I suppose so… At least I'll have a roof over my head and food on the table. Unlike most of the workers it seems"
"Yeah, we've been affected too. My father's had to lay off a few workers simply because not enough people were buying flour these days. I heard its worse in Europe, our main export market, hence why they can't afford to import food from us anymore and as a result we have to lower production"
"I wish I understood any of what you said right there" chuckled Viktoriya as she stood up "I was taught more appropriate things like needlework and singing instead of economics. You know I really do envy you sometimes Tanya"
"Yeah, after hearing that so do I… Anyway, onto nicer things…"
So they talked and bantered until Visha was eventually called down for dinner and Tanya was advised to return home, which she did promptly as it was getting dark already with the winter months setting in. She was about to hail a cab when a servant offered to get a carriage for her.
She got in a few minutes later and 15 minutes down the line she was home, able to smell whatever delicacy the cook made from all the way on the porch. She entered and sat down at the dinner table a minute later, just as her parents were finishing saying grace for the food.
"Evening Tanya, You been at Viktoriya's right?" asked her Father as he dug into the pastry "She's turning eighteen soon you know, we should probably get here a gift of some sort"
"Yes, she's been offered to two suitors already! I mean she isn't even of age yet" complained Tanya as she cut open her own pastry and put a piece in her mouth "Can you believe it?"
"Shocking really" agreed her Mother as she wiped her mouth with a cloth "I and your father only married at 20, he was 23 at the time I believe"
"Perhaps they are having financial issues?" suggested her father "after all, I do believe that The Serebryakov trading concern specialises in food exports and we all know how that's heading right now…"
"But to marry her off for money? That's absolutely disgraceful!" Agreed her Mother as she looked at Tanya "There must be something we can do!"
"Wel, she's turning 18 in the next few months. After that her parents will have no legal control over her. The only thing stopping her would be a lack of marketable skills and the lack of a secure income, both of which would result in poverty for her" noted Tanya as she turned back to her father "Perhaps if we offered her food and board of she works at the mill…"
"It is plausible…" thought her father as he looked at his wife "But what of our relationship? Although now that I think about it if my competition was to crumble then I'd have a monopoly in flour distribution over the nearby area… Tanya, your plan may be quite plausible. When is the girl's birthday?"
It was a simple plan, like the kind you'd hear from a child but without all the potholes and impossibilities usually found in such things. On the day after Viktoriya's birthday she would pack her things and leave the house at dawn, a coach would collect her and take her to their estate. Once the light of the sun rose her parents would have no legal authority over her, even if they did find her any attempt to take her back against her will could be considered a kidnapping. This plan was so simple it just had to be foolproof. All they had to do now was for Tanya to inform Viktoriya of it.
So simple, it just had to be foolproof.
7th of December 1933
It had been a long day for both of them. Of course it would have been odd for Tanya, being Viktoriya's best friend and all to not be invited. Hence why she was here now, clad in a light blue dress far less fancy than what one would expect from a lady of noble upbringing. Nevertheless there was a purpose to it, beneath her dress she wore trousers and a blouse to allow for easier movement and eventually escape a little later.
Meanwhile Viktoriya was clad in an expensive emerald green dress with full jewellery and makeup. She was uncomfortably talking to a few older gentlemen by the fireplace while her parents watched. The cake had been served a little earlier and even now one of the gentlemen's dog was trying to climb on the table to eat the leftovers only to begin grappling with a servant lady who'd tried to offer the dog some leftover meat only to be knocked back as the heavy thing. She would have found it quite funny had it not been for the task she was entrusted with.
Her job was to get Viktoriya out just as the cab they ordered arrived, that way they'd have the absolute maximum time to leave. Viktoriya's bags had been prepared in advance and were thrown down earlier to be collected by another servant (Who had received a 'bonus' for the work and deaccession this operation required).
She felt the small watch in her hand shudder slightly as the thicker arrow moved to a 7. The driver would arrive in five minutes, she had to act now. Shuffling past one or two other guests Tanya stood in front of the cake table and touched her ear, as if to adjust her earing. Now it was Viktoriya's turn…
Viktoriya noticed the sign, not that it was hard to miss as there was no one directly in front of her other than the two men at her sides "Excuse me gentlemen, I have to leave for a moment. Could we continue this once I've returned?" the men were a little disappointed but nodded and she went upstairs as if to head to the bathroom but instead kept going up to her room, she quickly took off the dress and what make up she could before putting on a worker's uniform and heading back down through the servants' entrance. Exiting below she found herself face to face with Tanya, who had packed her dress into a small bag and gestured her to come closer "The coach should arrive in a minute or two, he'll be at the gate. We need to move quickly but quietly, stay crouched and don't run; just crawl after me" whispered Tanya as she began to crawl on her hands and knees, using the hedges of the front garden to remain invisible from any accidental onlookers within the house.
The ground was frozen stiff as their hands slowly turned white, as they neared the gate they stood up and walked out. Not even stopped by anyone at this time as most were at home getting ready for bed or working. The coach was black and lacked any distinctive features, they smelled fresh paint on the side and worked to keep their clothes clean as the masked driver ushered them in.
Of course she knew it was Vasily, his cough was recognisable to anyone who knew him. It's rasp was muffled as the horses started moving and the carriage headed back to Melnikov Manor. The two girls within too cold to talk about the night's events.