Nano. RolePlay

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The new cathedral’s inauguration had been predictably magnificent. Obviously, the Bogomolovs had attended, as the dutiful members of the congregation they were. Yeva would probably have enjoyed the pomp and circumstance of the event if she hadn’t constantly been keeping a worried eye on Isaak, but some things couldn’t be helped. It would be a disaster if the boy’s inner demon were to show now, in such a dense crowd, but not taking him today was not an option. So here they were. Hopefully, the newly hallowed building would keep the demon at bay.

Either by miracle or sheer dumb luck, Yeva’s hopes came true and the ceremony unfolded without any disastrous transformation. The family the lingered outside of the cathedral long enough to speak to various friends and acquaintances, before mother and child left for the day’s next appointment. An execution was, in Yeva’s opinion, no spectacle for a child — or for her, for the matter — and visiting her pregnant and isolated friend was an excellent way to get out of having to watch such a gruesome show and to relieve said friend’s boredom.

With nearly all of Moscow having flocked to the new cathedral, the streets were virtually empty, which made the cab trip unusually short. Soon enough, they were in front of Oksana’s current residence and the door opened almost immediately after Yeva had rung the doorbell.

You're lucky your mother knows you well enough to buy you toys you enjoy. Unlike the mothers she knew, who only bought toys and garments that they wished their children would like. Yeva absolutely seemed like a mother hen, never leaving her son out of her sight like that, but Oksana wondered how much she'd try and shape his tastes. Probably not nearly as much as she'd do with her little problem.

"Of course she does! Why would she buy me toys I don’t like?" He seemed genuinely confused by that thought. Mothers obviously knew their children and bought the best of toys, that’s just how things were. "Mistakes happen, sometimes." That answer didn’t satisfy him, that much was clear.

Was this one of those situations where she had to watch her words or could she permit herself to be brutally honest? Oksana did not like to coddle children. She had not liked to be coddled either and one can only imagine the curiosity that possessed her as a child! Parents are not always aware what their children enjoy because some parents do not care and others are too busy trying to make their children like what they like. You should count yourself lucky, young man. She was not acutely aware of Pavel's interest in the child, but one can fathom men are not as preoccupied with their children as women are.

Isaak’s jaw pretty much dropped at Oksana’s explanations. "They don’t care? That’s mean! Why?" Yeva was… going to let her friend handle this one, because she had no idea how to answer that question other than with a reassuring lie, and she didn’t want to lie to her son. God knew she already lied on a daily basis, which was far too often to her taste. Isaak was the last person she was still honest with, and she’d rather keep that relation of trust intact.

She had the decency to offer Yeva a quick glance, but since her friend did not stop her with that distinctive look she could sometimes get in her eyes, Oksana continued : Because they have other obligations, because they do not actually want a child or simply because they do not know what to do with it. There are many reasons why someone could choose not to care.

"That’s mean!", was all Isaak had to answer to the clear explanations he had just received. His crossed arms showed that he would not reconsider that opinion. "It is… unfair, but I doubt those parents actively set out to be mean", his mother corrected. "Your tea is growing cold", she added to draw his attention away from a topic she didn’t expect him to understand anytime soon.

You shouldn't be concerned either way. Clearly you have a mother that does care. Be grateful for that. Speaking of tea... hers was getting cold too. That's what happens when you talk too much. No time for consumption of food and beverages. She was far past the age where she could allow herself to do both at the same time. A child can be forgiven for speaking with their mouth full. A grown woman? Surely not!

The child still seemed to be puzzled by the thought that some mothers could possibly not care, but focused on his tea, which was much less confusing than the strange ideas of grown-ups. "I heard that Fyodor Novikov was working on a new ballet, it should premiere at the end of Autumn this year." With the interminable mourning period her friend faced, Yeva thought it best to give her something to look forward to once it would end.

Oksana only groaned. She understood what Yeva was trying to do, but her first official outing in society being all but a year away was a terrifying thought. It will take more than a possible promise of ballet to keep me from jumping off a bridge before the end of the year.

"Don’t jump off a bridge! It’s dangerous!" Isaak’s reaction was immediate and spontaneous, followed almost just as immediately by a deep blush when he realised that he’d interrupted a grown-up conversation. "I second that." Yeva’s voice was light, but her eyes were not. She knew all too well how heavily this social exclusion (and her grief) weighed on her friend and she was genuinely concerned for her. Although she may not believe that Oksana was at the jumping off of bridges-stage, her wellbeing could clearly be better.

Oh, please. I wouldn't. She waved away their concern with a smirk. There's more dramatic ways to die. And before either of them could well and truly interrupt, she went on : For example... oh... I don't know, what about joining the militia and go on some mysterious mission that sends back your entire squad in empty coffins, mhh ?

By this point, Isaak looked torn between terror and sadness, and Yeva was left wondering how she could handle her friend’s grief and her child’s possible loss of control at once. Why had she taken her son again? Right, because an execution was potentially traumatising. Frying pan, fire, and that sort of things. So, she hugged Isaak tightly, both to comfort him and to hide any stray feather, but turned her gaze to Oksana. "I don’t suppose you’ve had any more informations?" She didn’t want to raise such a delicate topic herself, but this time her friend had brought it up herself, so maybe talking, even if only to vent, would do her some good?

In reality, Oksana had been dying to share her thoughts on the subject. Her in-laws never seemed to be on the same page concerning Ilya's suspicious "death", and at times, even her strong-willed self felt like she might be at the edge of a breakdown. Maybe talking about it would help her sort out her feelings. Nothing. Which is suspicious in and by itself if you ask me.

While Yeva was not entirely sure that this was a child-appropriate conversation, death (or, in this case, disappearance) was a part of life Isaak was bound to have to face sooner or later, and Oksana seemed to need to talk. "Oh, it’s suspicious alright. Do you think they’re hiding something, or that they themselves have no clue what could have happened?"

I hope for them it's gross incompetence because if they are hiding something I will find out. If there was one surefire way to get herself into trouble it was this one. Oksana did not like open endings. It's why she always chased a rumor to its source. If she was motivated enough to investigate an odd rumor when she was a teenager, one can only imagine the lengths she would go to when it concerned her own life.

Did Yeva believe Oksana when she said that she would find out? Absolutely. Which was exactly what worried her, because she wasn’t sure that finding out what the militia wanted to hide was good for one's health (scratch that: she was quite sure wasn’t). "Please be careful. I’d hate to have to investigate your own suspicious disappearance." She would have said "Think of the child", if she hadn’t known that this argument was unlikely to sway Oksana, and in fact may do the exact opposite. Speaking of children (or at least her own) around Oksana was almost as bad as speaking of suitors around Ineska.

She (fake) gasped, as if the thought offended her. What kind of person would make a poor pregnant widow like me disappear? Her pregnancy (or her widowhood) would not keep her out of trouble forever, nor would it exempt her from the scrutiny of the militia, but she would tiptoe the line and see how far it could take her anyway.

Honestly? Exactly the kind of people this poor (well, not in the monetary sense) pregnant window intended to go annoy. Yeva didn’t comment, though, not wanting to definitely scare her son, but she gave Oksana a look that made clear just how reckless she thought her persistance, however justified it was. "Just be careful, please."

Don't worry, she replied, knowing it wouldn't lessen her friend's worries even a bit. Although, if we're speaking of our worries... How close is Ineska to being sent to a convent? I have sent her at least three letters in the past two weeks with potential prospects, although I strongly suspect she has trashed them already. Any word? Should I prepare another black veil to mourn the loss of her fun years as a young woman?

Correct, it didn’t lessen her worries. Nice try, though. The topic of Ineska’s steadily shrinking time before being sent into either matrimony or monastic life made Yeva sigh wearily, though. "About one year away, if Uncle Sevastian has his way, which he may very well have, despite Ineska’s best efforts." All the strength of will and stubbornness in the world did not change the fact that Ineska was financially dependent from her father, in addition to strictly speaking still being under his authority.

Why do I have the feeling she wouldn't even object to the convent all that much? Good grief. If you see her anytime soon, please do remind her she should come visit me so I can talk some sense into her. Oksana was easy to ignore on paper, but Ineska would have a harder time pretending to forget to reply about potential prospects in person.

Yeva nearly choked on her tea at that. "Don’t make me laugh when I’m drinking!", she berated her friend. Meanwhile, Isaak was giggling from the face his usually perfectly proper mother had just made. "She may be fine the first couple of weeks or so, but I pity anyone who tries to make her fit into a mold and I certainly wouldn’t want to see her trapped like that." Not that a convent was necessarily a trap in itself. In fact, before she’d been set up to be married, Yeva had considered joining one and she was fairly sure she would have been fine. It just wasn’t a life for Ineska, who would be frustrated and bored out of her mind there.

Which is why she needs to hurry up and find a husband that can... deal with the kind of woman she is. She paused. Or... you know... one old enough. The "so he'll die quickly" was heavily implied but not pronounced because of Isaak's young, innocent ears.

That was a very cynical view on marriage, though Yeva supposed that Oksana was allowed to be somewhat cynical given her situation. Still, the thought of Ineska marrying an old man was just wrong on so many levels. Yeva hadn’t lost hope yet (faint though it was) that maybe one day one of her suitors would catch her cousin’s eye. A fool’s hope, perhaps. "The worst thing is, if she wasn’t so opposed to the idea of matrimony, I’m sure she wouldn’t have much difficulty to find a man she could get along with well."

Yes, she's stubborn and she's rejecting plenty of good suitors. She could've already been happily married but she's so set on her ways she can't see the good things right in front of her. Soon there will be no one left. She already has a reputation now. And a reputation is not usually a good thing.