[Plot] You Can Check-Out Any Time You Like

[Narrator]

The next week was an odd one, to say the least, especially for one not used to royal rigmarole.

Katarina had Duties to perform, which was a far cry from her regular schoolwork, and meant she wasn't always available to be with Jez. Jez did get to see Katarina sitting on a throne, hearing minor petitions that the King couldn't be bothered to handle, greeting well-wishers and things like that -- nothing of too much substance, but busy work notwithstanding. It wasn't a full day's work by any stretch of the imagination, but there was at least a solid block each afternoon where the Princess of Symkaria was off doing Princess of Symkiara things.

Through it all, she wore a fabric mask draped over the side of her face; obviously still very self-conscious about the damage she had suffered. A doctor had come to examine the extent of the damage, but Katarina also had meetings with the Royal Sculptor, the one who was responsible for much of the art around the palace and town. Something as delicate as facial reconstruction was not going to be easy, and the exact steps to take were still being discussed on high levels.

All this meant Jez had more time to herself than she was perhaps expecting. She was allowed to be with Katarina during some, but not all, of her meetings, though being conducted in Symkarian, it was a bunch of gobbledy-gook to her. She also had time with Lenka and the other handmaidens, who tried to give Jez at least a brief crash-course in both the language and palace life, just so she wouldn't be totally cast at sea. Jez could leave the palace whenever she wanted, and the handmaidens would occasionally go into town -- be it to pick something up or drop something off, or just to get out and about every now and again -- people needed time off, too! About two days after she arrived, Jez would be surprised to be handed a bankbook, linked to an account in her own name -- apparently, ever since Katarina semi-officially appointed her to a position, she had been getting paid, something the Princess had neglected to mention. If the circumstances were a little different, this might have been a fully pleasant vacation.

And, of course, Symkaria, being a modern country, did have WiFi, so it was not like Jez was cut off from the outside world.

At nights, Jez would be left alone with Katarina, with the Princess claiming she needed Jez's help to keep up with her studies. She was insistent that she would return to London at some point, though the King was equally insistant that she would not.

The two did not do much studying at night, and while no one said anything, Jez would have not-so-subtle suspicions that not everyone was fooled.

And so that became status quo for a week -- get up, have breakfast, spend some time with Katarina exploring the palace and learning about her real life, playing the part of handmaiden, experiencing Symkaria, alternatively quiet and argumentative moments when the King and Katarina found themselves in the same place, nights alone with her girlfriend, and the vague feeling that everyone was watching her on one level or another; this strange foreign element in their world.

And then, one day, Katarina came downstairs back in her flesh-and-blood form for the first time since...well, since she was kidnapped, one would suppose. And instead of her fabric mask, she was wearing one of titanium, covering the left side of her face -- a vaguely Latverian look, if one was honest.

[Jezabelle Sherlock]

Jezabelle was treating her time at the castle as a combination of vacation and learning opportunity... so not entirely unlike a school field trip. Or one of those corporate retreats where upper middle-managers go to some tropical location for sand and sun but also aid a local charity organization. She quickly adapted to budgeting her time so that when she was with Katarina she was capable of giving the princess her full attention. It didn't hurt that, at those stuffy meetings, she could have a duplicate sit or stand silently while she was out of sight on her phone, but the times when they were together and allowed to be themselves the device was only ever pulled out to take pictures with, and maybe share some memes.

The girl grew to appreciate Lenka and the other handmaidens even more than she already had. Their dedication and affection for Katarina was undoubtable, and she would not be ashamed to say that the lengths they went to teach her the basics of their language and craft did make her a tad bit emotional. By the week's end she had learned when to hold her head high and when to look at the floor, what cutlery to use (and that as none sat down before the King did, so too did no one pick up a fork before he), and enough of the language that she could piece together the basics of questions asked of her and give very basic responses; usually single words accompanied by a token of gratitude. The discovery of her available funds had made things easier for her in that she was not having to constantly borrow clothing from the princess or her handmaidens, where finding something that both fit her and was appropriate was not always easy. She had been reluctant at first to use the funds, but eventually caved out of necessity before finding other reasons to give in, reassuring herself that the money was collected from taxes and was being put back into the community and the hands of its people. That mindset made it much easier for her to occasionally treat herself or her guised to some of the local delicacies.

The feeling of always being watched certainly tempered her actions. She strove to dress and act the part within the castle but, knowing that she would always be an outsider, did not attempt to hide herself. She didn't go out of her way to stand out by dressing or acting inappropriately, more subtle things. Like how when tensions subtly rose between Katarina and her father she would move to stand silently beside her when others may have bowed their head and remained aside. And her emotional and physical support for the princess was all the more apparent once she had come across something in Katarina's closet. Something that the princess seldom wore, but seemed to take some amusement in seeing Jezabelle sport. Something that further contrasted her from the other handmaidens, but still allowed her to dress appropriately. Something with the atmosphere of professionalism and authority, but without any actual symbols of powers or status she did not possess. Something in two of Symkaria's three colours. Something that the Ameri-Genoshan had to admit the look of was growing on her.

And she was thus dressed when Katarina entered the room, her arrival marked with the dull thud of the girl's phone hitting the floor. This... would take some getting used to.

[Katarina Karkov]

"Oh, Jezabelle," Katarina sighed. "You do overreact so."

She somewhat tentatively walked over and picked up Jez's phone to hand it back to her. "I take it you do not like, then?" she said, in the tone Jez was beginning to recognize as feigned nonchalance.

[Jezabelle Sherlock]

Jez sheepishly took back her phone, brushing fingertips in the process. "Sorry, the new look just took me by surprise, that's all." That of course wasn't true, but there were many things that she really couldn't say right now. Like asking if the damage really was that extensive, or remarking on the similarity to someone that they both knew.

[Katarina Karkov]

"Well, until we figure out a...solution to the damage, I must wear some form of protection if I am to pass as, well, human.

I know some people don't mind," she said, brushing Jez's fingertips right back, "but I can't stay in golden form forever, especially if I hope to eventually return to the university. Perhaps if I can prove I can protect myself some, my father will eventually relent."

Snowball's chance in hell, but at least it was a straw for Katarina to grasp at.

[Jezabelle Sherlock]

"Perhaps telling him of the medical capabilities back at the school might offer some incentive for him to let you go. It would certainly be faster and more restorative than surgery."

She gave Katarina a concerned look. "Are you in much pain?"

[Katarina Karkov]

Katarina sighed. "It does not hurt when I am in golden form. It is...

It is not pleasant when I am as flesh and blood. It is sensitive to the touch, and to temperatures, and if I move my head too fast. It has reached a point where, if I am still, I am alright. But I suppose that just would make me a statue of another kind.

I believe that was one of the reasons Victor sent me this mask. He...knows a thing or two about facial injuries," she added, almost as an afterthought.

[Jezabelle Sherlock]

"Doom sent you this?" She didn't realize how loud her voice had gotten in her shock, catching herself and speaking in more hushed tones again. "Oh, there's so much potential symbolism in that."

She gave Katarina's hand a gentle squeeze. "If your father won't let you go back to the campus for treatment, maybe I can convince the headmistress to at least send some of that, uh, special blood they use. The healing factor stuff."

[Katarina Karkov]

"Do not worry," Katarina said, missing Jez's point. "We have scanned it and checked it for anything that Doom might be using; any technological enhancements or anything of the like. It came up clean."

"As for the healing blood," she hesitated. "That is...an option, yes. We may also try an...alternative treatment, made possible by my mutation. But that is a ways off, at any rate."

[Jezabelle Sherlock]

Jez narrowed her eyes a bit. "Wait, are you talking about trying to pop the dent out? Like fixing a fender?"

[Katarina Karkov]

"A...little more delicate than that," Katarina said. "But I suppose you have the general gist of it.

You have no doubt seen some of the statues around? Jacques Ciseleur is an...eccentric man, but a very talented one. Once before, I fell down these stairs here, and had a very nasty cut on my leg. He was able to fix it, and so there was never a scar," she said, hiking up her dress a little to show, yes, an unscarred leg -- a little bit smoother, perhaps, than the rest of the skin around it, but not something Jez may have previously chalked up to being mutation-created.

"I do not know, though. The face is...well, it is not a leg, at the very least. So perhaps mutant healing would be for the best in the long run."

[Jezabelle Sherlock]

"It's always good to have a back-up plan." Jez had noticed the difference in the skin on Katarina's leg, though she attributed it to a birthmark or some childhood injury that had long since healed. She hadn't thought that the girl had been welded and soldered back together.

She gave Katarina a rather chaste hug, saving more affectionate contact for when she believed them to truly be beyond the gaze of scrutinizing eyes. "Everything is going to turn out fine, I promise. I'll just work my magic and make your dad adore me, I'll have him wrapped around my finger in no time." It was pretty clear from her tone that she thought the chances of that happening were about as likely as the Derby County Football Club getting back into the EPL.

[Katarina Karkov]

"I am sure," Katarina half smiled -- or was that just the half of the face out from the mask?

"Dressed to impress him then, are we?" she added. "It is a good look for you."

[Jezabelle Sherlock]

Jezabelle flushed just a bit, tugging at the short jacket instinctively. "I don't like to brag, but... I kind of think the same thing. Maybe you're rubbing off on me, or it's the work of the royal tailors, but it makes me feel... confident.

"It's going to be hard to go back to hoodies and pajama pants after this."

[Katarina Karkov]

"Well, perhaps I should issue a royal ultimatum. Something along the lines of you may wear that or nothing at all."

Katarina was not good at subtle flirting.


"Would you be planning to wear that on Friday? Or would something else be more appropriate?" she asked, seemingly out of nowhere.

[Jezabelle Sherlock]

"I may be a little more 'out' than I was months ago, but I'm not THAT out."

Jezabelle looked a little confused by Katarina's question. "Um... I hadn't planned that far ahead. Why, what's so special about Friday?"

[Katarina Karkov]

"Oh! I thought I had mentioned.

The other houses will be gathering here, to discuss what shall be done with the empty Sablinova seat. And goodness knows you can't have so many noble people in one place with a dinner, and light entertainment. A masqued ball, I believe, is the plan as things stand. Because lord help us if we just had a business meeting."

[Jezabelle Sherlock]

Jez was silent for a moment as she took this all in. "A ball. With all sorts of traditions and etiquette. I'm... going to have to do some studying, aren't I?"

"You mentioned the empty Sablinova seat. You don't... fear some sort of reprisal, do you?"

[Katarina Karkov]

"I'm sure you will do fine, Jez," Katarina said. "I am sorry I did not mention it sooner; I forget sometimes that this is...very new to you."

She sighed again. "As for a reprisal? I do not know. I do not think so -- that was Alex's plan, to denounce me to the other houses and get them to elect a different family -- his family, I assume -- to the throne if I did not...acquiesce to his demands. Without his blackmail, I do not believe there will be such a movement. Some of the houses are not particularly power-hungry; simply having their castle, their lands and their title is enough for them. Others believe the Sablinovas are good for peace, at least for now. But if Alex was planning blackmail, then you would have to assume that he had other voices on the council who were willing to listen to him, at any rate. Their loyalties may lie with them rather than with me, and any shift in power is an excuse to grab some for themselves. And then finding a new family for the open seat? Well, that can throw things all a-flutter as well.

I would give very much to know how Alex found me. And who he was working with.

...Apart from Nika, that is," she added, with a final frown.

[Jezabelle Sherlock]

"If someone was prodding that little troll into action, there's little doubt that they may have been influencing some of your other guests as well. And maybe even finding a new one to back in their efforts. You might celebrate me as a hero but I have little doubts that I'll be used to try and tarnish your reputation. Having me around might be more of a hindrance than you've considered." Jez didn't want to abandon Katarina, especially in her time of need, but she recognized that many would share the same sentiment as her father did toward the American.

"I'm sorry, I wish I could have gotten you more info when I was with him. Maybe I could go back and pay him a visit? I'm sure that'd go over well." She wanted to defend Nika somewhat, after all the woman had risked her life to save Katarina, but there was little she could say that might make a difference.

[Katarina Karkov]

"There are some hindrances worth having," Katarina said, firmly. "I may not be able to move the mountain, but I may stand against the tide for as long as I am able."

"Though yes," she said, dropping some of the bravado. "Things are easier when we are not here. There are...appearances to be kept up. And I am sorry."


She sighed.

"I do not know if you would even be able to see Prince Alex if you wanted to. His family will be there on Friday to plead to the king for mercy -- though, truthfully, they will be pleading for their spot on the council."

She paused for a moment. "Oh! Do not think we are barbaric; I am sure Prince Alex is kept in comfort. Well, by standards of kidnappers, I suppose."

[Jezabelle Sherlock]

Jez tried to give Katarina a reassuring smile, though her own self-doubt may have tinged it. "Then we'll face the tide together. You just need to give me a few pointers when it comes to when I open my big mouth and when I keep it shut."

The girl smirked a bit. "Oh, I'm sure he considers his conditions barbaric, conditions that I'd be paying ten thousand a month for back in New York. I'm also sure your father'll use this as a pretty powerful bargaining chip."

[Katarina Karkov]

"I suppose the prince will have to give everything up eventually. I do not believe he has a heart of iron. Still, until then, keep your eye out, yes? For anything...that needs to have an eye kept out for."

[Jezabelle Sherlock]

"How lucky we are that I can have several to spare." Jezabelle quipped. "Even if they do all have to wear glasses."

"And I guess I know what I'll be studying up on while you're busy in your... everything, today."