Stupid Luck and Happenstance, Thread II
- Thread starter Peabody-Martini
- Start date
And I am certain that Kira will understand what this episode triggered in Kat.
It won’t hurt the twins to have a healthy respect for Kat and her abilities. They will have no concept of how vicious and venal the world can be. This episode may just trigger a wee bit of sense and responsibility.
On the other hand there will be ramifications for the security service. Understanding that there are few things more cunning than adolescents girls but if the twins can get around them there must be holes in the system/s.
I will be interested to see Kira’s reaction after to this expedition in light of her altercation with Kiki.
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A Harriman-Morse Presidential race would be interesting as Harriman had an interesting career in diplomacy and as a private businessman he had extensive investments in Germany IOTL.
He was Ambassador to the Soviet Union IOTL at the same time as the Germans won the European War ITTL, so I would presume that he has a very realistic view of Germany and the position that the United States finds itself in.
Sen.Morse was a very liberal for a Republican Senator and he was very much against Sen. Joe McCarthy and he left the Republican Party in 1952 when Nixon became the VP nominee, he also was only one of two Senators who voted against the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution that gave President Johnson broad powers to wage war in Vietnam.
He was Ambassador to the Soviet Union IOTL at the same time as the Germans won the European War ITTL, so I would presume that he has a very realistic view of Germany and the position that the United States finds itself in.
Sen.Morse was a very liberal for a Republican Senator and he was very much against Sen. Joe McCarthy and he left the Republican Party in 1952 when Nixon became the VP nominee, he also was only one of two Senators who voted against the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution that gave President Johnson broad powers to wage war in Vietnam.
Part 79, Chapter 1198
Chapter One Thousand One Hundred Ninety-Eight
18th September 1956
Kyoto
September had brought many changes to Kiki’s activities that were unexpected and not entirely welcome.
When Kiki had tried to explain the whole concept of television to Suga it had sounded absurd to her ears. Now television had come to Kyoto and it had caused Suga to question Kiki’s maturity. It wasn’t helped by the sort of programing that was on Japanese television. The most embarrassing aspect was that it even if it was seen through the lens of Japan being a different culture, it was largely identical to what Kiki had been watching for years. She had also realized that it wasn’t the shows, it was the comments that she had been able to throw around with her friends. They had spent just as much time making fun of what they were watching as actually watching it.
Then there was what Mistress Natsumi was teaching her. Gräfin Katherine had told Kiki that Natsumi was her counterpart, but she had not exactly understood what that meant. Kiki had assumed that it had meant something along the lines of the old joke that Kat was the Royal Assassin of Germany. Natsumi clearly had other things in mind. Things that Kiki would never have imagined. Flower arranging, calligraphy, food, even how she dressed and comported herself. All made into an artform and everything that Kiki did had to meet Natsumi’s exacting standards. All of those were things that she was finding mentally exhausting and Kiki had come to dread finding Natsumi waiting for her in the guesthouse whenever the business of a Senior Equerry took her away from Tokyo and in this direction. There was absolutely no way of knowing when that was going to be or what Natsumi would have her do ahead of time.
Today it was the proper method of using a bamboo whisk when preparing tea, something that Kiki had not known was a thing a few months earlier. Tea was something that the Japanese took so seriously they had made a ritual out of its preparation. Something that Kiki was still trying to understand.
Berlin
Flowers again and another note of apology. It was clear to Anne that Martin wasn’t taking the hint that several weeks of her not returning his calls ought to have given him. She had been introduced to Martin at a party that her publisher had thrown the prior spring and had gone several dates with him until she figured out that he wasn’t exactly worth the effort.
Anne had simply had enough of his cowardice after what had happened over the summer. Martin’s father was the head of the oxymoronic far-right Democratic Nationalist Party whose membership other nationalist and monarchist political parties thought belonged in lunatic asylums as opposed to in Government. Unfortunately, Martin Bormann Senior had gone ballistic when he had learned that his eldest son, the one he shared a name with, was dating Anne entirely because she was Jewish. He had come after his son with threats and insults but that wasn’t the most insidious part. He had come after Martin Junior with the memory of his mother who had died a decade earlier, it was that which had caused him cave in.
Martin had told his father that he was breaking up with Anne while offering to keep dating her on the sly. Anne wanted nothing to do with that, so she felt not even the slightest bit of regret when she chucked the flowers into the trash bin.
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It was entirely understandable that Kira was not pleased with Kat after what had happened the previous day. She found the Empress seated alone in her solarium. Lea Bäcker had been out in hallway and had warned her that Kira was in a mood and no one had been able to talk to her all afternoon.
Kat had ducked this meeting for as long as she could hoping that she would have answers for the Empress. As soon Kat walked in, she could tell that Kira was not going to be particularly interested in listening to what Kat had to say. Between what had happened a few months ago with Kiki and now with the twins pulling their latest stunt things were not going well. Added to that Kat had overstepped, because of their social rank she had no absolutely no standing to scold Vicky and Rea the way she had. Kat had said a great deal about the reality of what could have happened to them. She had clearly frightened them in doing so.
“We learned that Victoria and Marie had told their security detail that they were going to be studying in their room” Kat said, “They then slipped out through a service entrance without anyone seeing them. I apologize for giving them a tongue lashing when we got them back, but I felt that…”
“They still listen to you” Kira replied, “They would have just ignored me.”
It was obvious that Kira was in a morose mood from the tone of her voice.
“I doubt they would have ignored…” Kat started to say only to have Kira give her a withering look.
“My children are abandoning me” Kira said, “The things they are doing, I just do not understand why.”
Kat wasn’t about to contradict Kira when she was like this, but it sounded like Kira was upset that her children were growing up and trying to become accomplished in their own right.
18th September 1956
Kyoto
September had brought many changes to Kiki’s activities that were unexpected and not entirely welcome.
When Kiki had tried to explain the whole concept of television to Suga it had sounded absurd to her ears. Now television had come to Kyoto and it had caused Suga to question Kiki’s maturity. It wasn’t helped by the sort of programing that was on Japanese television. The most embarrassing aspect was that it even if it was seen through the lens of Japan being a different culture, it was largely identical to what Kiki had been watching for years. She had also realized that it wasn’t the shows, it was the comments that she had been able to throw around with her friends. They had spent just as much time making fun of what they were watching as actually watching it.
Then there was what Mistress Natsumi was teaching her. Gräfin Katherine had told Kiki that Natsumi was her counterpart, but she had not exactly understood what that meant. Kiki had assumed that it had meant something along the lines of the old joke that Kat was the Royal Assassin of Germany. Natsumi clearly had other things in mind. Things that Kiki would never have imagined. Flower arranging, calligraphy, food, even how she dressed and comported herself. All made into an artform and everything that Kiki did had to meet Natsumi’s exacting standards. All of those were things that she was finding mentally exhausting and Kiki had come to dread finding Natsumi waiting for her in the guesthouse whenever the business of a Senior Equerry took her away from Tokyo and in this direction. There was absolutely no way of knowing when that was going to be or what Natsumi would have her do ahead of time.
Today it was the proper method of using a bamboo whisk when preparing tea, something that Kiki had not known was a thing a few months earlier. Tea was something that the Japanese took so seriously they had made a ritual out of its preparation. Something that Kiki was still trying to understand.
Berlin
Flowers again and another note of apology. It was clear to Anne that Martin wasn’t taking the hint that several weeks of her not returning his calls ought to have given him. She had been introduced to Martin at a party that her publisher had thrown the prior spring and had gone several dates with him until she figured out that he wasn’t exactly worth the effort.
Anne had simply had enough of his cowardice after what had happened over the summer. Martin’s father was the head of the oxymoronic far-right Democratic Nationalist Party whose membership other nationalist and monarchist political parties thought belonged in lunatic asylums as opposed to in Government. Unfortunately, Martin Bormann Senior had gone ballistic when he had learned that his eldest son, the one he shared a name with, was dating Anne entirely because she was Jewish. He had come after his son with threats and insults but that wasn’t the most insidious part. He had come after Martin Junior with the memory of his mother who had died a decade earlier, it was that which had caused him cave in.
Martin had told his father that he was breaking up with Anne while offering to keep dating her on the sly. Anne wanted nothing to do with that, so she felt not even the slightest bit of regret when she chucked the flowers into the trash bin.
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It was entirely understandable that Kira was not pleased with Kat after what had happened the previous day. She found the Empress seated alone in her solarium. Lea Bäcker had been out in hallway and had warned her that Kira was in a mood and no one had been able to talk to her all afternoon.
Kat had ducked this meeting for as long as she could hoping that she would have answers for the Empress. As soon Kat walked in, she could tell that Kira was not going to be particularly interested in listening to what Kat had to say. Between what had happened a few months ago with Kiki and now with the twins pulling their latest stunt things were not going well. Added to that Kat had overstepped, because of their social rank she had no absolutely no standing to scold Vicky and Rea the way she had. Kat had said a great deal about the reality of what could have happened to them. She had clearly frightened them in doing so.
“We learned that Victoria and Marie had told their security detail that they were going to be studying in their room” Kat said, “They then slipped out through a service entrance without anyone seeing them. I apologize for giving them a tongue lashing when we got them back, but I felt that…”
“They still listen to you” Kira replied, “They would have just ignored me.”
It was obvious that Kira was in a morose mood from the tone of her voice.
“I doubt they would have ignored…” Kat started to say only to have Kira give her a withering look.
“My children are abandoning me” Kira said, “The things they are doing, I just do not understand why.”
Kat wasn’t about to contradict Kira when she was like this, but it sounded like Kira was upset that her children were growing up and trying to become accomplished in their own right.
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The ironical paradox. Where the three first children of Kira had the presence of her mother in some level, the twins were born in a time where Kira due to War or other stuff, was often absent.
Kira possibly it's morose, a bit heart broken and teary as when she spoke with the twins, while the Twins initially were scared from Kat, later both were both worried and GUILTY for worrying Katherine as they grasped a bit better WHY Kat read them the Riot act.
It's a sobering thought that Kira's youngest Daughters see Kat as more of a pivotal cornerstone of their lives than their own biological Mother.
Kira possibly it's morose, a bit heart broken and teary as when she spoke with the twins, while the Twins initially were scared from Kat, later both were both worried and GUILTY for worrying Katherine as they grasped a bit better WHY Kat read them the Riot act.
It's a sobering thought that Kira's youngest Daughters see Kat as more of a pivotal cornerstone of their lives than their own biological Mother.
Martin Bormann. An odious individual in either timeline except that he doesn't have the opportunity for evil that he had OTL. Thanks, @Peabody-Martini.
Anything ill that happens to that odious crew (ala Stumpy) is not a bad thing. Do your worst PM!
If Martin Bormann is leading the extreme right they are doing extremely poorly. Bormann was an unpopular individual (though recognised to be effective) even in Nazi circles OTL and no public speaker. It suggests that all the more likely candidates - Gregor Strasser, Fritz Todt, Otto Abetz, Otto Ohlendorff, Werner Best, Baldur von Schirach, Werner Naumann, Karl Hanke have either perished in the Reichstag bombing or Soviet war or gravitated to other political parties of a more moderate stance.
Never mind the preparation of the Tea (builders, strong, two sugars, milk) the real question is which biscuit to dunk!
Or been implicated in taking info from the Soviets during said war, and are currently hiding someplace trying to pretend they never were a politician.
But a dog can. My old dog who passed away last year. When he was young he ate /destroyed the most of the 3 place sofa... At least he did not do it with the next one.
One of the problems that Kira and Kat has with Victoria and Marie that at eleven years old the events of the attempt on their family in 1941 is ancient history to them and there may have been a very understandable reluctance to fully inform them of the events.
Another thing is that the twins unlike their siblings have probably started attending school from an earlier age and know more about what is outside the Palace gates and just didn't think through the possibilities of what could go wrong.
Another thing is that the twins unlike their siblings have probably started attending school from an earlier age and know more about what is outside the Palace gates and just didn't think through the possibilities of what could go wrong.
Or couldn't imagine the possibilities. All that is part and parcel of being eleven, barely approaching the age of (some) reason. They just need more education and training.
At least they were smart enough to approach an adult who was unlikely to wish them ill.
I was wondering when the tea wars would start.
Chocolate Wheaton. Anything else is uncivilized.
All I have on hand right now is gingerbread biscuits. They were, however made only yesterday
Part 79, Chapter 1199
Chapter One Thousand One Hundred Ninety-Nine
25th October 1956
Kyoto
The trees were vivid. That had been the promise all summer and to actually see it was incredible. The problem that Kiki had was that she seldom had more than a few minutes to enjoy it. Mistress Natsumi had told her a few weeks earlier that she had pressing business elsewhere and wouldn’t be around as much. Natsumi had arranged for the appropriate tutors to come to Kyoto in her stead. At first Kiki had welcomed what she thought would be a break only to find that the three women who had arrived at the guest house had very definite ideas about how she should be spending her time. If she had to guess, not one of them was under the age of sixty and it was extremely noticeable that Suga was absent whenever they were around. Kiki also suspected that there was an element of schadenfreude in Suga’s conduct as well.
Every day, Kiki was up before dawn so that she could be in school. Then in the afternoons she was in the guest house with additional lessons that were dished out with the ruthlessness of a Drill Instructor. Sharing a meal with Suga in the evening had curiously become a bit of an escape, though from watching Suga as they ate it was obvious that every movement of the Japanese Princess was practiced to the point where it was almost choreographed. Now that Kiki understood what was happening, it was impossible not to see it.
It was as they were eating the meal when Suga brought up having heard Kiki playing her viola the night before. She had grown tired of playing the sheet music that she had brought from home and the one time she had attempted to find additional music here in Kyoto she had discovered that there was relatively little available viola as opposed to violin. Instead, Kiki had played her frustrations in the wild improvised manner that she did when there were few other options. Eventually, she had stopped and just played to the season on the warm autumn evening. Suga had heard and it had been unlike anything she had ever heard before.
It was than that Suga had dropped a bombshell. She had thought of a way to assert control over her life, act contrary to her family’s expectations. She just needed Kiki’s help to do it. She had heard about the series of events that had led to Kiki getting sent to Japan and her professional aspirations. When she had heard Kiki playing, she knew she had found a kindred spirit.
Berlin
Here in the park the chaos that seemed to be engulfing the world seemed very remote, but the possibility of it spilling over across State boundaries was ever present and it was at the forefront of her mind. All Kat could do is watch with apprehension as the recent elections in Hungary had erupted into violent protests and upcoming local elections in the Baltics were threatening to do the same. Poland was in turmoil again after two factions of the independence movement had gone to war with each other. Into this mix was the German economy sputtering after several years of robust growth. Kat herself had slightly different concerns as she sat down on the park bench.
“Good afternoon, Jarl” Kat said to the man who was seated next to her, “Please tell me that you asked for this meeting because your General Practitioner recently gave you what I would consider happy news.”
Jarl Gunnarsson just laughed at that. “Let me guess” He replied, “Your preference would be something extremely painful involving a slow death?”
“No” Kat replied, “Just gone for good, faster the better.”
“I see” Jarl said, “You’ve given this some thought.”
Kat didn’t say anything in reply.
“You made it clear the last time we spoke that you would kill me if I caused you any overt trouble” Jarl said, “And things are going well enough.”
It had been two years since Kat had spoken to Jarl, of her father’s lieutenants he had been the one who had taken over the syndicate after the death of Otto Mischner. They had met in the field office of the Tempelhof project after Jarl had secured his position. Then too, he had not been direct about what he wanted.
“What is it with you” Kat snapped, “Out with it. Why did you ask to meet?”
“Always demanding answers, no wonder you got where you are” Jarl said only to get a withering look from Kat.
They sat there in silence for a few minutes.
“I need to ask a favor” Jarl said.
“And why would I be inclined to give you one?” Kat asked in reply.
“Because you are a decent woman against all odds” Jarl said, “You know how to break old patterns.”
“What does any of that have to do with anything?” Kat asked.
“I watched how you managed things in Tempelhof” Jarl said, “The way you did things made it a bit difficult on my end, but it will probably be the first public works project in living memory to be completed on time and under budget.”
“From Stockholm?” Kat asked incredulously, and she saw the smirk on Jarl’s face. He somehow had the police in Sweden and in Germany convinced that he was still in his childhood home.
“It’s got to do with Jo” Jarl said, “And I would like to think that if you were presented with a choice you would make the right one.”
“Who or what is that?” Kat asked.
25th October 1956
Kyoto
The trees were vivid. That had been the promise all summer and to actually see it was incredible. The problem that Kiki had was that she seldom had more than a few minutes to enjoy it. Mistress Natsumi had told her a few weeks earlier that she had pressing business elsewhere and wouldn’t be around as much. Natsumi had arranged for the appropriate tutors to come to Kyoto in her stead. At first Kiki had welcomed what she thought would be a break only to find that the three women who had arrived at the guest house had very definite ideas about how she should be spending her time. If she had to guess, not one of them was under the age of sixty and it was extremely noticeable that Suga was absent whenever they were around. Kiki also suspected that there was an element of schadenfreude in Suga’s conduct as well.
Every day, Kiki was up before dawn so that she could be in school. Then in the afternoons she was in the guest house with additional lessons that were dished out with the ruthlessness of a Drill Instructor. Sharing a meal with Suga in the evening had curiously become a bit of an escape, though from watching Suga as they ate it was obvious that every movement of the Japanese Princess was practiced to the point where it was almost choreographed. Now that Kiki understood what was happening, it was impossible not to see it.
It was as they were eating the meal when Suga brought up having heard Kiki playing her viola the night before. She had grown tired of playing the sheet music that she had brought from home and the one time she had attempted to find additional music here in Kyoto she had discovered that there was relatively little available viola as opposed to violin. Instead, Kiki had played her frustrations in the wild improvised manner that she did when there were few other options. Eventually, she had stopped and just played to the season on the warm autumn evening. Suga had heard and it had been unlike anything she had ever heard before.
It was than that Suga had dropped a bombshell. She had thought of a way to assert control over her life, act contrary to her family’s expectations. She just needed Kiki’s help to do it. She had heard about the series of events that had led to Kiki getting sent to Japan and her professional aspirations. When she had heard Kiki playing, she knew she had found a kindred spirit.
Berlin
Here in the park the chaos that seemed to be engulfing the world seemed very remote, but the possibility of it spilling over across State boundaries was ever present and it was at the forefront of her mind. All Kat could do is watch with apprehension as the recent elections in Hungary had erupted into violent protests and upcoming local elections in the Baltics were threatening to do the same. Poland was in turmoil again after two factions of the independence movement had gone to war with each other. Into this mix was the German economy sputtering after several years of robust growth. Kat herself had slightly different concerns as she sat down on the park bench.
“Good afternoon, Jarl” Kat said to the man who was seated next to her, “Please tell me that you asked for this meeting because your General Practitioner recently gave you what I would consider happy news.”
Jarl Gunnarsson just laughed at that. “Let me guess” He replied, “Your preference would be something extremely painful involving a slow death?”
“No” Kat replied, “Just gone for good, faster the better.”
“I see” Jarl said, “You’ve given this some thought.”
Kat didn’t say anything in reply.
“You made it clear the last time we spoke that you would kill me if I caused you any overt trouble” Jarl said, “And things are going well enough.”
It had been two years since Kat had spoken to Jarl, of her father’s lieutenants he had been the one who had taken over the syndicate after the death of Otto Mischner. They had met in the field office of the Tempelhof project after Jarl had secured his position. Then too, he had not been direct about what he wanted.
“What is it with you” Kat snapped, “Out with it. Why did you ask to meet?”
“Always demanding answers, no wonder you got where you are” Jarl said only to get a withering look from Kat.
They sat there in silence for a few minutes.
“I need to ask a favor” Jarl said.
“And why would I be inclined to give you one?” Kat asked in reply.
“Because you are a decent woman against all odds” Jarl said, “You know how to break old patterns.”
“What does any of that have to do with anything?” Kat asked.
“I watched how you managed things in Tempelhof” Jarl said, “The way you did things made it a bit difficult on my end, but it will probably be the first public works project in living memory to be completed on time and under budget.”
“From Stockholm?” Kat asked incredulously, and she saw the smirk on Jarl’s face. He somehow had the police in Sweden and in Germany convinced that he was still in his childhood home.
“It’s got to do with Jo” Jarl said, “And I would like to think that if you were presented with a choice you would make the right one.”
“Who or what is that?” Kat asked.