Locked to ladyofthehouse

[pasodoble]

Week 3: Monday

( As promises, Kaoru brings Austria to his room some time in the afternoon. They don't have a lot of time to begin so when she arrives, he let's her in and will show her to her seat rather swiftly, )

Thanks for coming.

Comments

[ladyofthehouse]

You're welcome. [Austria glances at Spain's clock, being mindful of the time.

If she's breaking any rule, it's not going to be THAT one.]

I assume you have something you need to discuss with me. [She has some guesses, but she'd rather he just say it.]

[pasodoble]

( Sorry Austria but Spain is going to break a rule this week already so why not break more tbh NO HE'LL KEEP AN EYE ON THE CLOCK TOO )

Sí, I wanted to talk about the trial. ( Apologizing is really hard when it really matters. ) I'm... sorry...

[ladyofthehouse]

...What are you sorry for?

[pasodoble]

( Don't make him explain you're making this harder. He looks away, obviously quite ashamed of himself. Fine, he'll make this a formal apology )

I apologize for making you cry. ( He might have said that a bit fast, ) I didn't mean to make you upset.

[ladyofthehouse]

That's-- [Austria looks surprised for a quick moment, twisting her hands in her lap.] I believe we all might have said and did things we shouldn't have.

[Calling him names...] Myself included.

[pasodoble]

It's no excuse.

( Austria don't fret like that it 1. Makes you look really cute and 2. Makes him feel bad for embarrassing her again. He comes over to take her hands in his own. If she allows it, he'll give them a firm squeeze and look directly into her eyes, )

I won't make you cry again.

[ladyofthehouse]

[She'll allow it, although she flushes pink. He's taking hurting her feeling so seriously now, she finds herself staring back into his.]

I forgive you then, and will hold you to that promise.

[His eyes are really green... she hadn't noticed before.]

[pasodoble]

( And Austria's eyes are are pretty unique. He doesn't think he's ever seen anyone with eyes like that before. Wow. After a second, he realizes he's staring and he feels rather embarrassed! She's going to scold him now for being rude, isn't she? Well she can't if he doesn't let her get the word in! )

Can I ask you something?

[ladyofthehouse]

[Good tactic.]

Ah... ja?

[pasodoble]

Do you think... you might be like us? Like Iceland and Norway and me?

( You know. A nation? )

[ladyofthehouse]

[Austria frowns, furrowing her brow.]

I think I've expressed my skepticism of the concept of personified nations quite vehemently, Herr Spain.

[That's not what he asked.]

[pasodoble]

Ja. ( A little bit of German, just for her. ) It's pretty strange, isn't it?

( This is the most awkward laugh ever and he'll finally let go of her hands. )

I just wanted to make sure, y'know? Because... it can be a lot!

( A lot of history and culture and baggage tbh. )

[ladyofthehouse]

You seem quite fervent in your belief of it. [She pauses for a long moment. setting her hands back in her lap.]

What's it like...? From what you can remember.

[pasodoble]

Well, I'm a pretty faithful man, I guess. ( See what he did there... see?? okay, that was awful. )

Ah... it's... hm. ( Crossing his arms. Without his history, it really is kind of hard to explain it exactly. Normally he would say it is what it is and he's been there and done that but. ) It is what it is.

( Okay, no, it's the exact same thing. )

I guess... it's a lot what being in love must feel like. ( He raises a hand to his heart and smiles fondly, ) You can tell when your people are happy or sad and no matter what, you always want to do your best for them so that they can be happy.

( And then... you try to do everything you can for them to keep them happy but in the end, you're just one person even if you represent a million people. And even though you're a person, you're not really human which is easy to forget. You'll live for a long time and watch your family grow old and pass again and again. You have other nations but you can't really control how those relationships might go...

... But she doesn't need to know that. )

[ladyofthehouse]

[Spain please.]

I don't think I'd be able to understand that sort of thing.

[Or she has. It's just... that sort of thing never mattered in the end. No one she's thought she loved at least. Significant others, children she cared for, friends and even people she'd admired.

They'd always... left her. One way or another.]

...Do they love you back?

[pasodoble]

Who wouldn't love you?

( Not... really answering the question for himself there, oops. But the answer would still be the same. )

[ladyofthehouse]

[She smiles, although it looks more sad than anything.]

I can think of a few people in this house alone who's names I could answer that question with.

Regardless I don't think I'd be a very good nation. [She pulls her incentive out of her pocket. It's a small cropping of what seems like an endless crowd of people.]

I have no interest in acting on this.

[pasodoble]

( If she allows it, he'll take the photo from her and take a closer look. His jaw clenches and he holds his breath for a second. The photo is remarkably similar to his own and so he knows what it is immediately. And then as quickly as it comes, his surprise passes. Really, if she blinked, she might have thought she'd imagined it.

He manages a laugh and hands it back to her, )

Then it looks like the masterminds behind this show made a mistake. ( It's not a lie. Wow, way to take away someone's memory and then blackmail them using something they'd need their memory to care about. ) Who knows what else they've gotten wrong...!

( Their time is probably beginning to run out soon. )

Don't worry, Austria.

[ladyofthehouse]

[It's caused her a lot of turmoil at least. Maybe it's really not so odd an incentive, if she'd had her memories... and thanks to the change in rules that's always on the table now.]

It seems that way.

[Austria takes the picture back and glances at the clock.]

I should probably be on my way.

[pasodoble]

Before we get in trouble, sí.

( He'll go to get the door for her but before he opens it, he stops, appears to consider something, and says in accented German, )

I know it wasn't you.

( Who killed Eridan, that is. Austria might notice that his accent is lighter and not as harsh compared to regular German-- it's an Austrian accent. But before she can say anything, he'll already be showing her out the door so they don't get in trouble. )

[ladyofthehouse]

[Hearing that, Austria's face flushes red almost immediately as he ushers her out the door.

No one had actually said anything like that to her. Not without a hypothetical attached to it, or asking if she'd done it, or without resentment of her.]

... danke.

[She'd really wanted just one person to say it.]