1I
1921, VIENNA (HOFBURG PALACE)
Boy Emperor, that's what the press had taken to calling him. Alek supposed it was easier than listing all of his titles, and it had somewhat of a ring to it, though Alek didn't personally favor it.
At the moment, though, he needed to cater to the press, so that particular topic wouldn't be mentioned right now
His entourage was arranged around him in a semi-circle, with those he most favored (or owed favors to) closest to the sides. Volger was, as usual, behind him and to his right.
Hands folded on the desk in front of him, his field marshal's uniform just a bit uncomfortable, Alek felt Volger's eyes on him as he began to answer the questions.
"The law that was passed earlier today regarding the division of the Empire into smaller, self-governed states, does not mean that Austria-Hungary's might has been reduced.
No, nothing of the sort. These 'states' may make their own laws according to their cultural heritage and personal preferences, but these laws will be reviewed by governors of each specific state, and then, if a discrepancy is found, reviewed by myself.
This is all done with Austria-Hungary's future in mind, with the idea of modernizing our country."
Alek allowed his gaze to sweep the room, meeting the eyes of each and every reporter, foreign or not, noble, and assorted servant that populated this room. There was iron in his voice, and he had the talent of talking and being noticed. His eyes dared them to speak out, to question the country that he had devoted himself to protecting, to nurturing. He was quite good at showing his strength and meaning through these simple gestures.
Alek had been doing this for six years, after all. The 'Boy Emperor' had been given plenty of practice.
Pausing for a breath, he then continued.
"If there are any questions, Herr Volger will be more than pleased to direct each reporter to the correct department."
Before the first blinding wave of camera had caught him, Alek stood, nodded to Volger, and left through the door to the right of his desk.
The door shut with a satisfying thud, and Alek's hands went immediately to his neck, loosening the decoration there. The sash was simply removed and placed upon the nearest chair. Running his hands through his hair to loosen it up a bit, he paced around the room for a few moments, reviewing the latest interview in his head. It was true, what he had said about Austria-Hungary still being strong. They had the latest Walkers, the best engines, good relations with the surrounding countries, and very good relations with Britain and America. Alek had needed a few years after the question of succession and the death of Franz Joseph I settled to begin rebuilding his empire and keep the citizens safe and happy.
But Austria-Hungary wouldn't remain strong at the current rate. Empires ran on taking smaller countries or new territories acquired by war and sucking them dry. But if Alek had learned anything from his time on the Leviathan, it was that the common people had a voice and strength, and that honor would only keep certain guards in service.
Just look at what had happened to the Czar. A puppet ruler due to a revolution that killed his oldest son and left his wife and children prisoners to be used against him if he passed a law they didn't like!
All the fighting bears didn't protect him from the mass of people that disagreed, and thus he had lost his power and his honor.
Alek had no intention for his empire to end like that, with the citizens oppressed by a new ruler after a long, costly revolution. The title he had fought so hard for would not be lost.
And thus, certain changes had to be made. Like giving the people of Austria-Hungary's minorities more rights- within their own zones. Otherwise, Alek would end up dead or a manipulated nothing.
Boy Emperors were nothing if not jaded.
LONDON, ENGLAND (LONDON ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY, LONDON HEADQUARTERS)
Dr. Nora Darwin Barlow's assistant. Dr. Barlow's valet, servant, cook, organizer, everything under the sun and more, that's what Deryn had become. She accepted the titles without shame, being that she really did none of these things. Deryn just found other people to do them for her, making sure Dr. Barlow had absolutely nothing to worry about as she ran about London and the world fabricating creatures, making speeches, and manipulating politics on the behalf of the Zoological Society.
Shifting her weight, Deryn still kept her posture at attention, similar to the pose she used when reporting in the Air Service. Dr. Barlow would be wanting to leave the meeting quickly once it finished, and then Deryn would need to accompany her to the next engagement.
At the change in posture, Bovril let out a muted sigh, mumbling something under its breath. The perspicacious loris had ended up with Deryn after the adventure, despite her attempts otherwise. In the past few years, it had grown smarter and more perspicacious, speaking in complete sentences, and making sense nearly constantly. Barlow's (equally intelligent) loris was at home after suffering a bout of a cold or some such loris sickness. In Deryn's opinion, one was more than enough, especially at public events.
She was wakened from her nostalgia by one of the doctors from the society coming over to speak with her. She unconsciously adjusted her posture, and waited for the man to offer his hand before she extended her own and shook his.
"The esteemed Dr. Barlow's assistant! Congratulations on your new title, Doctor, ah-"
"Dylan Sharp, sir," she interjected gently.
"Ah, Doctor Sharp! Well, congratulations! Dr. Barlow says to expect great things from you, very great things!" As if to prove his point, he shook his finger at her, jowls shaking along.
Deryn nodded in modest acknowledgment. This man must have been the seventh or eighth tonight, most likely coming over here to try and gain favor from Barlow by praising her young student, hoping said student would be so honored by this attention to do as they wished.
"If you'll excuse me, boy, I must be going. My colleagues have just arrived-"
And with that, the man, like so many others, departed without a word. The Society was like anything with power. There was always someone bigger and better to meet and replace in the hierarchy.
"Aye, beastie, isn't it so?"
Reaching over to her shoulder, Deryn gave Bovril a little scratch under its chin. Bovril sighed again, leaning into Deryn. Focusing back on the little scenes beyond her place by the corner, Deryn located Dr. Barlow purely by sound. The lady boffin's group was always the loudest and largest, with Barlow commanding the conversation and attention. Deryn had learned a few public speaking tricks from her, and used them quite often. This next move would be one of them.
She pulled a pocketwatch out (Clanker design, a subtle tribute to that boy who she didn't think about that often), and strode over to the posse surrounding her teacher, easily finding a way in through the mostly corpulent or freakishly thin bodies that all of the boffins seemed to have. She had no particular image in mind for the large ones, though the thin ones always brought Tesla to mind, an image which she tended to dismiss rather quickly.
"Dr. Barlow, ma'am, you have another meeting in a few moments."
Her voice carried clearly, without being loud. It got the attention of the lady boffin, which was all it needed to.
"Gentleman, excuse me," she flashed a smile at the surrounded men. "This assistant, I do not know why I keep him. He's always rushing me away from nice company. But he knows too much, so what should I do?"
Tittering laughter followed, and various suggestions were made, some of which made Deryn flinch internally. Outside, the simple image she portrayed to the outside world had no change. She let the conversation wash over her and away, waiting for Barlow to extract herself from the group so they could move on.
It took a few moments for the proper goodbyes to be made, and Deryn made a show of appearing to wait impatiently. Once out of the room, the pair hurried out of the building, hailing a cart (drawn by a beastie that even Deryn couldn't name) and giving the address.
"Well?" Dr. Barlow turned expectantly to Deryn, laying back in the seat.
Deryn placed her hands on her knees and began to speak, keeping her voice even and monotonous as she told Barlow what she had overheard that night. The information that a quiet 'nothing' such as Deryn might overhear was enormous. Tonight's consisted mainly of confirmations of petty rivalries and continued experimentations that were really just other boffin's works under a different name. Bovril jumped in and contributed at various points.
This reporting of bits of gossip overheard was normal for Deryn. Dr. Barlow was usually able to glean bits and pieces of important information from what Deryn heard. They were out of Britian for long stretches at a time, and political elements shifted like Teutonic plates, grinding along subtly and then quickly with a loud noise. However, like the natural events, quakes in politics could be predicted if one knew what to look for. The lady boffin liked (for whatever barking reason) to be around when the shifts occurred or right after.
For example, a few months ago something important had been going on within the royal family, but everything had settled down (or been hushed), which had disappointed Dr. Barlow.
Deryn could have cared less about royalty.
Meanwhile, the beastie pulling the cab had been called to a stop, and Deryn stepped off before Dr. Barlow, offering the doctor her arm so that she could step down like a lady. Deryn scoffed slightly at the thought, and Bovril mimicked her. Barlow shot her a look, and Deryn shrugged it off, not offering an explanation.
While Dr. Barlow walked up to the townhouse they shared (Deryn sleeping on the bottom floor, with the servant's quarters between them for decency's sake) Deryn paid the driver and hurried up the steps. Once inside the door, Deryn quickly shrugged off her coat and hat, placing them on the coatrack by the door.
"Tea in an hour!" came Dr. Barlow's shout from somewhere upstairs.
"Aye!" Deryn yelled back, already clomping down the stairs to her room.
The door was shut-and-locked behind her, and Deryn sighed with relief. As Dr. Barlow intended, a whole hour gave her a chance to take a hot soak and redo her bindings.
Bovril hopped off her shoulder after the door closed, scampering off to do Bovril-things. Quickly, she removed her shirt, the undershirt, and the layer of wrapped cloth that gave the illusion of the lack of hips. The pants were next, but Deryn stopped, walking through her windowless basement quarters to the bathroom. She had four rooms to herself, nearly half of the basement. There was a separate room where the boiler was stored with a separate staircase leading to it, just in case. The result of the locked door, separated rooms, and various other little tricks was that Deryn had complete privacy, and thus her secret was safe for another day.
She turned the hot water on high, appreciating just how quickly and efficiently the various living systems in the house heated the water. The tub filled while Deryn stripped off her shoes, socks, and pants. She sat on the floor beside the tub, rubbing her aching feet and rolling her neck to get some of the knots out. Finally, it was time to start on the bindings on her chest.
A year or so after she had left the crew of the Leviathan, her monthlies had started, and then her chest had started to grow again. Dr. Barlow had been more impressed with them than horrified at having more to hide, which had been Deryn's chief concern. After making Deryn parade around (behind closed doors) in dresses for a good hour, she had sighed, shook her head, and said there was nothing to be done about Deryn's new 'endowments', besides just binding more tightly. The lady boffin had been able to cook something up for the monthlies (and the cramping that came with them). It was a blend of the hormones that gave Deryn these problems in the first place, yet it stopped them. Deryn didn't question the pills, just took them every morning. After everything had been fixed, Dr. Barlow had taken Deryn aside, and given her the 'facts of biology' talk. Deryn had blushed- the last times, the talk had been given by her older brothers, and then the teachers at school. Her brothers had given her slang terms for almost everything, and her teachers had given her a scientific explanation of what everything did. What Dr. Barlow spoke about was feelings and emotions, how partners should treat one another, and what consequences were. She had mentioned that the pills that Deryn had been given would lower the chances of pregnancy significantly, but wouldn't stop any transmitted diseases.
And for a moment, they both pretended this was all relevant to Deryn. That she would have lovers and suitors and a husband and children. It wasn't something she had really considered until that moment. She couldn't quite expect to have a family with a woman, either.
It had hurt so much at first. Deryn hadn't expected it to, but it did. There were dreams she had to let go of because of her choices to attain others, and this was just one.
Eventually, it stopped bothering her. She had other goals.
The topmost layer of binding was the tightest, and when it was finally off Deryn sighed deeply in relief. The ribbons of cotton unwrapped quickly once that first layer was off, and the swell of her chest started to appear slowly.
The cotton strips were placed beside the tub, and with that last layer removed, Deryn stepped into the tub and quickly sank into the water. As a second though, she drained off some of the water, and re-ran it with a bit of soap in the water. Bubbles quickly covered the service of the water, and Deryn again shut the water off and leaned back in the tub, sighs of delight overtaking her.
Oddly enough, the water sounded as if it was still running.
Opening one eye, Deryn gazed around the room. Over in the corner, Bovril sat with it's mouth open, trying desperately not to look at Deryn and failing horribly. It broke down into laughter when it saw Deryn's stern face, who also quickly fell to laughter.
"Come here, beastie."
The loris raced across the room, jumping into the tub where it sat on Deryn's stomach. She stroked its fur while she lay back a bit further and stared off into space and thought.
An hour passed quickly, and she hadn't noticed. Deryn quickly rebound herself and dressed into less formal clothes. She was going to be a little late to tea, and Dr. Barlow had been hinting that there was something important to be discussed. She raced up the stairs, Bovril downstairs napping, and nearly burst into the tea room, almost falling on the floor.
A strange sight greeted her.
The lady boffin was there, sitting in her usual chair, cup halfway to her face as she read a letter. The envelope was on the table, wax seal broken. As Deryn walked closer, the details on the seal became clearer.
A two-headed mechanical eagle.
Deryn's eyes widened, and Dr. Barlow stood, placing her cup down on the saucer without a clink. Her face was unreadable, yet her voice was restrained and slightly angry.
"It seems that Austria-Hungary has requested that a boffin visit to promote friendly relations between our countries. It also seems that the Society has decreed that I am to be that boffin."
Deryn's world spun for a moment, and then quickly settled. She met Dr. Barlow's evenly, with steel in her voice.
"I'm coming with you."
For once, Dr. Barlow didn't say anything in response.