Anastasia sat quietly at the Animalia Police Department after filing the report on the attempted theft of a set of jewels that she'd bought at a local pawn shop in Lyre, ultimately with the idea of using them as part of a Halloween costume to play the part of the Romanov princess she was named for and gave a heavy sigh.
"At least you weren't hurt," a male voice said from beside her and she looked over to see Dmitri, her former owner, from when she had been a normal Russian Wolfhound. He'd come with her for her uplifting and had stayed by her side as she went about her acclimation to understanding what it was like to be an Animalian and learning about Human society, which Animalians had to interact with. In that the man was a good friend for remaining at her side and being supportive. Anastasia even smiled as he wrapped one arm around her shoulder and rubbed it gently.
"I still cannot understand the desire to steel the jewels... though," Anastasia said slowly, "particularly with the possibility that they aren't actually royal jewels..."
And with that her mind had focused on recent events that had related to the jewels that she'd bought. The geologist and gem expert from the Burrows' Geologic Museum was able to confirm that the jewels that Anastasia had bought were actual authentic gemstones, which made them valuable. He'd noticed some icons that might "betray" who manufactured it, but wasn't enough of an expert on the historical fields that would be needed to confirm it.
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The knock on the door got Anastasia to her feet as she left her couch and moved to the front door. Dmitri was there, but he remained calmly seated while Anastasia moved about to the front door. In some ways she was excited that the jewels she'd bought were real and not fake, but the possibility that they might actually be royal jewels was something that Anastasia was even more curious about, for it would make for a more authentic Halloween costume if it was true. Not to mention there would be all the curiosity as to how they could have gotten to Nevada after the Russian Revolution and the Second World War that followed it. Much of that which survived the revolution and didn't fall into Soviet hands remained with the members of the Russian nobility that fled Russia as the civil war there began. Thus Anastasia had been quite eager to find out more about the jewels she'd bought.
That had been something of an adventure, but the man she'd met at the Burrows had some connections to some other historians, one of which had even specialized in Russian history. The historian, a man named Thomas Mortar, had ultimately come to Lyre/Animalia to begin something of a search into the authenticity of the jewels that Anastasia had bought. He was intrigued by the design and gave the commentary that it did certainly look like the actual jewels that were commissioned for the wife of Alexander II of Russia, Maria Alexandrovna, otherwise known as Marie of Hesse, but he'd had his own concerns and questions and explained to Anastasia that his research might take some time. Now, Anastasia hoped that he'd found some things.
She opened the door to find the man, Thomas Mortar, standing there quietly with a dark suit with his Harvard pin on the lapel. He also had his briefcase with him.
"Hello, Doctor Mortar," Anastasia spoke, wagging her tail with excitement, and referring to the man's PhD, "Did you find anything?"
"A few things..." Thomas Mortar spoke, though Anastasia thought he sounded a bit hesitant, "May I come in?"
"Of course," Anastasia spoke and stepped back to hive Thomas Mortar room to enter. "Dmitri is guarding the jewels in the living room."
"I am a bit old to be guarding anything, Anastasia," came Dmitri's voice from the living room and alerting Thomas Mortar of which way to go.
The walk from the front door to the living room wasn't that far, and Thomas Mortar noted the jewelry of note set on an improvised stand on top of a small and rather common looking coffee table. It made for an interesting contrast given the potential origins of the jewels in question. He quietly sat down on the couch while Anastasia moved to sit on the same couch, but on the side that would actually put her closer to Dmitri, who was seated in a separate chair.
"So, what did you find?" Dmitri asked as Anastasia sat down, "Did Anastasia truly stumble onto something thought lost?"
"Possibly," Thomas Mortar answered slowly.
"Possibly?" Anastasia tilted her head to a side, "either it is real or it isn't."
"I'm afraid it is not so simple," Thomas Mortar spoke, "I checked with the pawn shop you say you bought the jewels from, and while he was a friendly fellow... he did not have any credible documentation that would indicate that the jewels you bought belonged to Empress Consort Maria Alexandrovna and he even admitted that he'd gotten them second hand."
"But a lot of things were lost in the Revolution," Dmitri commented, "and the stolen by the Nazis in the Great Patriotic War. That would explain the lack of papers, yes?"
"It can... particularly if the jewels that would relate to a state occasion celebrating the 50 year anniversary of the defeat of Napoleon, which for Russia would relate to 1814 with the end of the War of the Sixth Coalition. Technically hostilities did resume when Napoleon returned, but Russian and Austrian forces did not arrive in time to participate at Waterloo in 1815," Thomas answered, "were not taken by members of the Russian nobility when they left Russia in the period around 1917-1919 during the years of the Russian Revolution and following Russian Civil War."
"Did they?" Anastasia wondered.
"I had to make some calls and from what I was able to track down... at present I've gotten no confirmation from members of the Russian noble families that they have it in their possession and none of the museum's in Russia have it in their collections, either," Thomas Mortar explained, "which could raise the possibility that these jewels are directly connected to the Russian nobility... which if by the jeweler's estimation on the cut of the jewels going back to the mid 1800s. For if one were to go about selling the jewels and stating that was what they were... they could well face real legal trouble. The Russian nobles would have some personal claims of ownership and the Russian Government might also be able to assert some claim as to a "cultural icon" for a museum. Thus if a peasant got it during the revolution and later defected to the west... or if the Germans found and took it during World War II... they would not want to advertise that they had it."
"Which would raise some trouble," Dmitri said slowly.
"From what I can determine... yes," Thomas Mortar nodded, "I've found little that would concretely prove that these aren't the real thing... but neither have I found anything that would concretely prove they are the real thing. Some of the points where there could be manufacturing identification marks for the metal pieces used to hold the jewels in place, but a lot of that could simply be wear and tear on the item as a whole. For as I said... the pawn shop you bought it from may be friendly... but not every pawn shop is like the "Pawn Stars" show that caters to historic goods and items almost exclusively. Thus, I wouldn't think that he would have been aware of its possible historical importance, and given that he also thought they were cheap plastic... he wasn't that concerned with regard to the jewels either..."
"So many of the finer details were lost due to lack of care," Dmitri spoke.
"But what would it mean for the jewels..." Anastasia spoke, "are they real or not?"
"They are real jewelry and they do look like they were made with the methods that would be available in the mid 1800s," Thomas Mortar spoke, "which would mean if they are a replica... it was likely made at around the same time as the original. Which would still make it historically valuable. And given that the jewels in question do appear to be among many of the items that were lost between 1917 and 1945, counting both the revolution and the Second World War... which makes it possible that what you have would be the real thing..."
"But...?" Anastasia spoke slowly.
"But because many of the marks that would be needed to compare for those that were produced for the Russian nobility, I'm afraid we just don't have enough to confirm beyond all doubt that truly is something that belonged to Empress Consort Maria Alexandrovna," Thomas Mortar spoke, "there just isn't enough there. And while replicating it might be difficult, it would not be impossible. And there will be bound to be plenty that will doubt it just because of the possibility that it could be a historical replica made after 1864 in another country."
Anastasia looked down, feeling a bit deflated by what she'd just been told. A part of her was honestly excited by the prospect that she'd somehow stumbled on to actual royal jewels. And while Thomas Mortar hadn't said they weren't the actual jewels, he couldn't confirm that they were the actual jewels either. It was possible and there just wasn't enough evidence to confirm it one way or the other.
"And maybe it is better this way," Dmitri commented after a few moments of silence.
"Better?" Anastasia asked.
"Yes," Dmitri nodded, "if Doctor Mortar was able to confirm that it was part of the Empress Consort's jewels beyond all shadow of a doubt... the surviving noble families would be able to lay claim to it, as technically it would be THEIR personal property stolen in the Revolution... and if it stayed in Russia and was stolen by the Nazis in the war, the present Russian government would have claim to it as "property of the Russian state and people." In either case, you likely wouldn't get to keep the jewels as they would legally belong to someone else. If it is a replica... you CAN keep the jewels. And since the gems are real, it is still valuable and they don't reduce your natural beauty."
Anastasia smiled a bit at the last part, "I wouldn't mind donating them to a museum if they were historic... I'd only bought them because I thought they would look good for a Halloween costume."
"The one thing I would be wary of... given all the publicity that has been made that these jewels MIGHT have royal connections... which could well still be there... you're going to need some way to protect them," Thomas Mortar spoke in warning, "Animalians might not be as inclined to stealing inanimate objects... like jewelry... but there will be some people that are. And the fact that it's been reported as being potentially royal jewels... even if they were to be stated to be a replica made with real gemstones, that won't deter someone from trying. And even if you could overpower a human thief, Ms. Anastasia, you cannot stay at home to guard it all day every day. Even the Tsars didn't wear all their crown jewels all day. Many of them were actually only saved for very specific occasions."
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And ultimately Thomas Mortar's warning proved prophetic. While what he'd found was enough to make it possible that the jewels that Anastasia could be something that dated back Russian monarchy in the 1860s, there simply wasn't enough to confirm it with absolute certainty in any direction. The lack of some of the specific manufacturer's identification numbers raised the possibility that they were just a well made replica, but at the same time, the condition they were in might have seen those numbers worn off the metal pieces because of improper care or over handling. There just wasn't enough to prove beyond shadow of a doubt that they actually were royal jewels. And someone had still come in with the intent of stealing them.
"Many people can be quite greedy, Anastasia," Dmitri commented, "it's why the nobles for years commissioned such jewels in the first place. And its why various revolutionary groups have engaged in the same behavior. Greed is something that man has always had to struggle against... particularly when we started assigning financial wealth to things."
"But it's not like it would benefit him... right?" Anastasia answered.
"If he were to follow the law... yes... but man has also found ways to circumvent legal channels when they feel the legal way doesn't benefit them, thus the black market," Dmitri said with a sigh, "and with goods supposedly of great value... there will always be some group interested in buying such things, regardless of how they were obtained. It's one of those things that makes greed the sin that it is."
Anastasia only answered with a soft whimper and looked down. She relaxed a little when Dmitri's other hand took her right hand and held it gently.
"But I would think that in general man is getting better," Dmitri told her, "this thief was bad and I'm certain he will pay for the attempted robbery. But not all humanity is like that. There are those that have done a lot of good. The scientists with Horizon... who have given many a new chance at life and overcoming illnesses that might be otherwise untreatable. And with those treated under Project Phoenix having willingly done so... there is no end problem in that, which is good."
"And there are friends like you who've always been there," Anastasia commented.
"As Ellie would be," Dmitri commented, "and while she is a Rhino Animalian now, she was born Human. So... don't let one bad event dishearten you."