was simply trying out costumes. But when she sat back down to remove the make-up, she realised several things; one, her skin is lighter and-
sort of... Odd. Cold - like porcelain. Then, she has the joints of a doll. She is wearing an old dress and is afraid to even remove it.
cannot quite believe she is walking out of the house like this when the day is ending..
has never seen her so beautiful. He'd really like to...acquire her. He'd take such good care of her...
is momentarily distracted watching how the joints of her fingers make some movements slightly difficult. She doesn't notice him right away..
has learned to keep himself to remain quiet until addressed, so it hasn't occurred to him to make himself known. He'll just watch for now...
does eventually notice him - it just takes her a little while. She offers a tiny smile, strange as it might look, but quickly covers her
hands. "I didn't expect t see you here.."
doesn't smile back for a moment. He's trying to look friendly, but between the lighting and shadows under his eyes, he might not look as-
friendly as he would have normally. "I stopped by for a visit."
wonders about that... And the clothes. But ultimately decides not to ask, and simply nods. "A visit? I'm happy you have yet to forget me."
meant that as a joke, really. Of course she isn't aware of how he might be feeling right now.
"Of course I have yet to forget you. How could I?" He clears his throat, and after a moment, sits down, albeit stiffly.
laughs softly, sitting down as well. She would find it strange, if she could see just how much she looks like a doll, now. "It was a joke,
my dear cousin. Who seems to have... Taken a liking to the military attires."
raises an eyebrow. "I do not know what you mean. This is my required dress." Don't mind him while he makes sure there aren't any wrinkles or
lint on his uniform.
's smile falters and she tilts her head slightly, eyeing him up and down. "For Halloween?" She is slightly confused, forgive her.
glances up at him. "Is it Halloween? My apologies. I have too many obligations to....for the sake of the fatherland, to worry about such-
trivial holidays."
frowns now, remaining silent for a moment - pondering if he's serious. But he can keep a good act, can't he? She laughs softly, a bit unsure
however. "It seems as if you have your act all planned out."
frowns immediately. "Excuse-moi? This is no act, and I do not see anything funny. "
's last laugh is perhaps a bit too shaky, and that smile isn't as friendly as it is a sign of confusion. "Mon cher. What day is it?"
thinks there is something wrong with Eva.... "Friday, I believe."
could start off by pointing out how she is currently made of porcelain, but she's hoping it's maybe the effects of things her brother bakes.
"What year?"
can't tell without touching her. She just looks prettier than usual. "Nineteen hundred forty-three. You should know this."
just sort of sits there, staring at him for a good while before tilting her head down with a slight not. "A-Ah, yes..? How foolish of me."
tilts his head slightly and studies her in turn. "If have come down with some sort of ailment, I will not tell Monsieur Allemagne."
scrunches up her nose as much as she is allowed in this state, holding back a blunt retort to that. "I am perfectly healthy, thank you."
"...If you say so. But I cannot help but think you seem strange. Perhaps you're becoming infected with undesireables...
"
closes her eyes for a brief moment, holding back a sigh. Or maybe a sob - she's not sure which. "I'm not. I'm *fine* so please, stop that."
"Stop what? I am only keeping your best interests at heart."
crosses her legs, refusing to look back just yet. "Right now, my best interests do not depend on Allemagne."
"...Monsieur Allemagne is building a better Europe for all of us. You should be more respectful."
scoffs. That's a joke she's been hearing for a while. Granted, things are much different now, but still... "You keep thinking that, cher."
leans forward a little, and says earnestly. "It's not thinking; rather *knowing*. I've seen all the faults in my ways. You should do the -
same."
turns to face opposite from him. She wonders just *what* is going on... "My conscience is clear, France. Unlike yours."
shakes his head fervently. "Non. *Non*. I've redeemed myself, with the Rafle du Vel' d'Hiv. I'm forgiven..."
's been through all of this once and it was more than enough. She turns some more, as if trying to turn her back to him. "I feel sorry for
you."
"I don't know why. I...I'll have my place in the new Europe..." Divided up into smaller territories but. It's surviving. Kind of.
"Napoléon would be ashamed to even look at you." She... Can't quite believe she said that. It was more out of instinct; the greater of two
evils and all.
clenches his jaw, but refrains from smacking her right across the face as he'd like to. "Watch your mouth."
would rather if he didn't; she is afraid her skin might break, like this. But she's not really thinking about that. "You're not my brother."
"You are not my sister. I will not tolerate such disrespect from you."
shakes her head; back turned to him or not, that is still visible. "I'm not one of your men. You have no authority over my acts."
crosses his arms. "All you'd have to do is agree and there wouldn't be a problem."
refrains from saying a few, awful things. "*Shut up*. I don't care what you have to say."
"Then I am wasting my time here. I was hoping to have saved you, but it seems my efforts were in vain."
makes a move to stand up but ultimately turns back to him. She feels as if she is crying - but she's not even teary-eyed, which is odd.
"Is that why you decided to visit? To... 'Save' me', is that it? How sweet." Now if only she meant that.
bites the inside of his cheek and looks around, as if there may be someone in the shadows, spying. It's quite plausible, so he lowers-
his tone to barely above a whisper. "*Please*. You have to establish your place in the new world under the Reich. Do you really-
think Angleterre is capable of *saving* us? He'll have to surrender or die, too..."
lifts a hand up as if to wipe tears from her eyes, but there aren't any. And seeing those strange joints, she immediately pulls it back down
, covering her hands with her lacy sleeves. "Francis, you don't have to worry about that *now*." She sighs. It's hard to explain to him that
it's two thousand ten, so she won't really get into detail about that. "Just relax."
shakes his head. "I have to." He's quiet for a moment. "What if my full compliance is not enough..."
swallows dryly, or tries to. "It is more than enough. Please, stop it. He's not ever going to find out if you just relax for a few minutes."
glances around the room again. He trusts her, so he tries to relax a little. "If you're sure..."
tries to reach to grab his hand. She must remind herself not to be frustrated with this. "He's not here."
frowns at her. "Someone else might be. He's....got connections all over. You don't even know."
shakes her head. "I'm telling you. In here, it is just you and me right now. No one else."
is going to have a hard time believing her, when his own men watch him. "If you're sure." He sighs and leans back in his chair.
stands up slowly, wincing slightly at the strange feeling of doll legs moving. This is strange, but their conditions must have a similar
reason. "Should I get you anything?"
"I cannot remember the last time I had real coffee. But I cannot imagine that you'd have any, either."
is quick to begin heading towards the kitchen. "You would be surprised. I made some, earlier; I will get you a nice warm mug."
isn't going to turn that down. "...Where did you acquire it?"
returns after a moment, with a mug of coffee for him. "Ah... Lovino brought it for me."
stares at her. "I don't want it."
frowns. "... Why not?"
"It's *Italian*. It's bad enough I'm to drink Rhine wine on occasion..."
sighs and sets the mug on the coffee table. "I won't force you to drink it. But I have nothing else to offer besides that."
scrunches his nose up. "You should dispose of it."
furrows her brows. "... No."
doesn't realise he's being inconsistent. "...Do you sympathise with fascism?"
has noticed this, but she can't quite blame him, right now. "It's just coffee."
"Where is your pride? Wouldn't you rather go without, rather than consuming something of theirs?" Hypocrite.
sets her hands on her hips. "Francis. It's *coffee*. It's not a crime."
shakes his head. "I'd rather drink barley and chicory."
huffs. "Well that is really up to you. If you're going to be ungrateful, then it's not my problem."
becomes a little subdued upon hearing that. It's not her so much as what her words trigger. "I'm grateful."
purses her lips, watching him curiously. "Did you come here to shove your idealistic propaganda in my face?"
shakes his head. "I...came her to visit you."
's gaze shifts down to her old dress. "Just a casual visit?"
"I am visiting as casually as possible given the situation."
"Right now you can be as casual as you want. No one is here to spy on you."
"He's got people everywhere." A bout of paranoia hits him just then. "How do I know you are not working for his Gestapo?" Yeah, he went -
there.
doesn't even think; she just slaps him, uncaring of how cold her hand is, or how painful that might be. "Don't you *ever* say that again."
has suffered through far worse, but he can't lie and say that didn't hurt. The shock that she'd actually do that to *him* assists with that,
also. "...Eva."
's hand isn't stinging. But neither were her eyes when she wanted to cry. So she can't tell for sure how it felt. She can't help but not_
carry on about how insulting that was, however. It's just something about his tone. "... What."
rubs the side of his face and shakes his head. He deserved that. Just like he's deserved everything that's happened to him in the past few-
years. "Rien."
can only imagine how that hurt; she doesn't like slaps very much, but he deserved it this time. "How could you think something like that
about me?"
"I don't know. I have come to expect that from so many, I suppose."
"I haven't lowered myself to that point, mon cher."
half nods, and without thinking, he reaches for the coffee.
doesn't say anything; heck, she would hope he didn't have problems with the coffee. She just sits back down, refusing to look at him.
isn't going to say anything for now. He might be having a lovely bout of moodswings, but it really has been a long time since he's had -
decent coffee.
keeps herself busy with the hem of her dress. She doesn't even glance back at him; she's realised he's not quite... Stable. So she doesn't
want to upset him. God knows what happened last time.
can enjoy his coffee in silence. It's the the unnerving kind of silence, where he's just waiting for some sort of punishment to occur, so he
doesn't mind all that much.
isn't going to punish him; she has nothing to punish him about. She eventually mumbles something to herself, followed by an audible sigh.
glances over at her. "Did you say something?" His hearing has become more acute, but he still didn't understand what was said, if it was.
shakes her head, but doesn't look back at him again. She was just musing about why on earth history has to repeat itself like this. "Nothing
you should be concerned with, non."
would have much preferred to not repeat this. But of course, he doesn't realise that's what he's doing now. "...D'acc."
will probably not remind him of this later. Like she didn't with that Napoléon incident. "You never visit anymore." She means *now*, because
they're both so busy. She honestly forgets that he's not himself right now. Or not... himself in the most recent era, anyway.
finds it difficult to leave most of the time. It goes between him not having the opportunity to do so, and him not wanting to leave at all.-
"....I can try harder to."
realizes, now, that things aren't so strange between them just in the past few years, but the past century or so, really. It's quite... Sad,
once she thinks about it. Really, she clings more to the memories of when they were much younger. The irony of thinking this when she looks
exactly like one of those dolls she complained about looking like when they were younger. "Just do as you wish; it's your choice."
nods, then sets the mug down and pats his uniform pockets. "Do you have any tobacco? ...Mais, oui. I really will try. I promise."
finally turns back to him, but shakes her head. In the end, she goes back to playing with the lace hem of her sleeves. "I don't have any
tobacco. I don't smoke." She doesn't really reply to his promise, though; she doesn't think he'll remember in a few days.
still isn't realising this isn't 1943. "Well, that's probably a good thing. It's so hard to come by now."
remains silent for a moment, before glancing at one of the walls. "Francis. Look at the calendar over there."
does glance over, but he notices the 'octobre' in big letters, not the year. "What about it?"
runs a hand through her hair, but quickly regrets it when it almost gets tangled in the joints of her fingers. "Ow, ow -- What year is it?"
starts to answer automatically. "Nineteen hundred--there is something wrong with your calender."
glances back at him and shakes his head. "No, there is not."
"There clearly is. Calenders aren't made for years decades in the future."
shakes her head again. "*You* are a few decades off, my dear."
frowns at her. "Impossible."
simply shrugs. "The cold war, the space race, optical fiber, karaoke, digital cameras, Tetris, the world wide web. The calendar is right."
just stares. "Wars tend to be cold when fought during winter."
takes in a deep breath. "Never mind. What I mean is, there is no Germany for you to worry about." ... Well, she didn't mean it like that.
....blinks. "Monsieur Allemagne is no more? Who gets his land?"
shakes her head. "I just mean... Things have changed. He's not the way he used to be... Not the way you know him."
is actually kind of disappointed. He would've preferred to hear that Allemagne was to be partitioned... "How so."
fidgets a bit, trying to come up with a way to explain it to him. "He's just different, alright?" She looks away. "No reason to fear him."
has a hard time believing her, especially given history and centuries of hostility. "If you say so."
can't blame him for that. But what can she do about it? Really, she can't change his mentality. "I do say so. So don't... Don't worry."
simply nods, rather than arguing that. He doesn't believe her at all. "All right."
could only show him how she is right by calling Ludwig, although she's not so sure if it's a good idea or not, right now. "Ah... And please,
make yourself at home. If there's anything you need.."
would potentially flip out if she did that. Maybe. He really doesn't care to know. Because she can't be right. "I'm fine right now."
can just take that as more reason to not call him. She can... Deal with this, for now. She holds out her hand to him. "Come sit next to me?"
stares at her hand for a moment, then takes it and moves to sit beside her. "I'm sorry I failed with protecting you."
immediately reaches up to cup both his cheeks in her - currently - cold hands, shaking her head. "You have nothing to apologize for. I am my
own nation; I should be strong, too. You look so tired.."
can't really tell the difference right now. He just sets his hand on top of one of hers. "It was my job to protect you..." -
doesn't answer in regards to that last part. It's hard to get plenty of rest when so many of his people are starving.
hasn't forgotten what that's like. But their minds are set in different decades now, and there's only so much she can do to relate. She_
shakes her head again, but is soon looking back up at him. "You did all you could. And I didn't turn out half as bad, eh..?"
pulls back a little and studies her, before looking down at the floor. "It's only natural for you to end up okay. Your blood isn't -
dirty like mine."
tries to get him to look back at her. She is frowning now and from her look, it's obvious that she doesn't agree with this. "We share a _
bloodline, mon amour. Somehow. And yours is not dirty, not at all. You are perfect, just the way you are."
shakes his head. Maybe at some point he believed that but after hearing the opposite over and over, he's more inclined to believe-
otherwise. "You're wrong to think that. We don't even share enough to be considered equals."
's hands slide down slowly, until they're resting on his shoulders. She looks so distressed, for someone who is supposed to look like some_
sort of doll. "We share just enough. Oh, I wish you could see what I see..."
looks at her, and holds his gaze. "It doesn't matter. You'll always be better than me."
shakes her head slowly, not daring to look away from him now. "We're *equals*, if anything. You taught me that."
"Non. I taught you incorrectly. There are mangey curs superior to me."
leans closer, to rest her head on his chest, as if to show that she doesn't find him repulsive in any way. "You will see how wrong you are,
some day.."
stiffens, and after a long moment he pats her back. "If you say so..."
just leans against him, sighing softly. It's during times like these that she realises that she misses those baroque parties from so long_
ago. At least they all seemed much happier. "I do say so. You'll see."
misses many things, like those long-since times when he had everything he could have wanted. Before he lost it all... "I suppose-
I have no choice but to listen to you."
misses seeing him happy. Well, she misses a lot of things about him these days, but she's in no place to talk. She curls up a bit, not _
caring about how her hair is falling over her eyes, or how unnatural the way she is twisted in might seem. "Don't bow down to anyone, love."
eventually gets both arms around her and just holds her, like that. "It's far too late for that."
sighs softly. "Things change, my dear. They always do. I didn't give up last time," She frowns softly, remembering the damage from the first
world war. "So don't you give up this time."
leans against her. "If Angleterre can't stop him, I'm going to die. What'll happen to my people?"
shakes her head, closing her eyes for a moment; it makes her look somewhat more peaceful. "You won't die. I *promise* you, you won't."
reaches up to run a hand through her hair. "If you were speaking the truth about the year, I suppose I can believe you."
sighs, rubbing her eyes almost as if she was tired. But she's not, really; this is quite comfortable, however. "I am being completely honest
."
nods after a beat. "...I see. I will try to keep this in mind."
hums softly under her breath. "Please do. I don't want to see you feeling miserable anymore."
sighs. "It cannot be helped..."
seems a little sad upon hearing that; even if she already knows what the outcome is for her. "Things will get better... I promise."
has not been so relaxed in a good while. It seems Eva has that affect on him. "In what way?"
kind of tries, you know? It seems like she never sees him doing well nowadays, and like this? It pains her to see him this way. "In more_
ways than you can imagine."
almost wants to slump against her, but like this she seems so fragile. "Can you elaborate?"
wouldn't mind that. But really, she can only try to offer him some comfort right now. "A lot of things still await you, my dear. I can't _
tell you everything; and I can't say it won't hurt. But.." She pauses, feeling somewhat strange by telling him all of this; he probably _
doesn't even believe her - it makes sense. "In the very end, the Allies are coming out of this victorious. You'll see."
really doesn't; he hopes for such an ending, but he can't really imagine it at this point. "I will try to believe you. You'd...know more-
than I would."
can't blame him for that! Back then, things were different; she remembers it quite well. "For once, yes, I would." She rests her head on_
his lap, feeling more like a younger sister to him, than anything she might have ever been. "So don't think too much of it. Not right now."
looks down at her and strokes her hair as gently as he can. The more he tries not to think on it, the easier it seems to be. It might just-
be due to Eva being different like this, and the atmosphere being calmer. "All right."
hums softly; indeed, maybe this... Anachronism is what's helping. Things aren't exactly calm, but not so tense as they would otherwise be,
which is at least something she can live with for now. She idly wonders how long this will last, really. "Thank you. For visiting me."
is honestly scared of what his condition might be, had he visited Ludwig or Gilbert first.
wouldn't willingly visit them; just the thought of it is absolutely terrifying. He'd much rather avoid les boches for as long as-
possible. He looks away from her to the window, watching whatever is visible from where he's at. "Thank you for not turning me away."
can understand that feeling perfectly; and it's at these times that she realises they both have a great history, no matter if his is older,_
or if a great share of hers was under the control of others, or if they were sad for years on end. That just goes to show how much they've_
matured. "I would never do that to you."
tries to smile, but he can only manage twitching the corner of his mouth some. "I don't know what I'd do without you. You've been such a -
great friend to me."
can smile for both of them; even if it might seem a little emptier now - but she would guarantee that it all has to do with her current _
condition and that she does mean it. "We're like family, my dear; we stand up for each other, through and through."
can't deny that. He's *tried*; he just can't change the fact that he's failed every single time since, well. Y'nno. "Ouais. You're-
possibly the closest family I have now, you know."
can just remind him of all he's done for her - if not in a historical level, then all the little moments of this and then when they were_
who knows what to each other; when he'd protect her and teach her things, because really, she's much younger. "And I will always be here,
even if it may not seem like it."
looks back down at her and combs his hand through her hair again, rhythmically. He can't express his appreciation for her at all right now.-
"Merci. I don't know what I'd do without you." He feels redundant, but it's true.
rather enjoys that oh-so familiar gesture; she idly wonders if, when he is back to normal, he will have time to visit her again. It would_
definitely be more relaxing than his current condition, non? "Don't mention it. And as I said, make yourself at home."
still considers himself normal; but hopefully his future self has more time for her. He can't imagine not having more time for her. Because-
honestly, who else would he spend time with? He obviously isn't always chummy with his other neighbours. "Oui. I am.
"
thinks he would be surprised. But... She can't exactly elaborate. Honestly, she doesn't want to give the man more reason to go off and_
get himself killed or something. She idly wonders how Gilbert or Ludwig would react upon seeing him like this. Will react. Whatever. "Hm,_
vraiment? Well... I'm glad."
is completely relaxed. Look, he's even leaning against the back of the couch. He closes his eyes for a moment, just to rest them. -
He's not going to sleep, but he's let his guard down enough that he doesn't have to constantly look over his shoulder.
isn't going to ruin the moment by sitting up now. Instead she just curls up a bit, turning her head to look over at him. She feels terrible-
that he's going through this again; but she doesn't want to voice those worries and upset him..
stays like that for a good while. He knows this almost content feeling isn't going to last for long, so he's making the best of it. Finally
he looks down at her. "I am not keeping you from anything, am I?"
shakes her head somewhat lazily; she must look quite different from what he remembers; she doesn't look as tired, as brought down as in the_
time he is currently living. Really, right now she looks as if nothing has ever harmed her. "You're not. I was simply going for a walk."
likes that about her, really. He prefers seeing her like this, rather than in the way he's been accustomed to seeing her. When he can see-
her, anyway. "I shouldn't keep you from that. If you want to go for a walk...we can."
can't forget that; so in a way, she hopes it's at least more comforing than both of them looking so entirely broken. "Only if you're feeling
up to it, ja?"
up to it, ja?"
nods after a moment and shifts, with the intention to stand. "I could use the exercise."
"Hmm, alright then." She sits up, then after a moment stands, stretching a bit.
stands and stretches as needed. His muscles are a bit sore, so he needs to do this thoroughly. "I'll let you lead the way."
can wait. She eventually nods and holds out her hand for him, if only to convey a sense of familiarity. She doesn't know where to go yet.
takes her hand and holds it gently. He doesn't want to have too hard of a grip.
smiles softly and pulls him along and out of the house. She doesn't know where to head to right now, but figures it doesn't really matter.
is content with just aimlessly walking. Everything is so much more peaceful here.
thinks he would find that his own home is much more peaceful the way it is now, in spite of all the protests, than it was back then. Alas,
she can't just take him there, so she will just lead him around the streets; hopefully some kind of conversation topic will eventually rise.
looks around, but doesn't comment much for a long time. Perhaps he's simply been blinded; he didn't notice the differences in this time and-
his own until after talking with her. He's bound to forget though, whether he realises this or not. "Everything has changed a lot."
wonders about that - if he hadn't noticed how things had changed until now; but for all she knows, he hasn't been like this for that long. _
nods, mostly focusing on her own two feet, though she can only see the very tip of her little shoes sneaking out from under the dress with_
each step. "There have been many innovations from your time to mine."
expects as much, really. Well. He does now that he knows the future isn't come desolate wasteland. "There are improved methods for killing-
others too, I imagine."
runs her free hand through her hair; that was quite the morbid statement, coming from him. "There is also something we call bioethics now."
doesn't need to know more than the name to figure out what that is. Easy stuff. "Hm. There's always a light in the darkness, non? Or -
something like that."
is glad she doesn't have to elaborate on it; she'd have to go through some painful things first, after all. "Yes, there really is." Of _
course they're not living any utopia... But at least to a lot of them it's become easier.
doesn't believe in such things anymore. He used to believe that it was possible...but now, no. Just thinking of that now makes him huff and-
kick at a pebble.
had the tiniest smile; a little glimpse of her own high expectations and pointless hope that he could ever bring himself to smile -
meaningfully in such a state. But now she doesn't smile again, instead giving his hand a light squeeze. "It will all work out. And when it_
is all over, we will hold hands and some together, oui?"
(smile* wth. )
looks down at their hands, like he honestly forgot they were holding them to begin with. "Ouais. That'd be nice." Maybe this hope'll give -
him strength for later, when he's back in his own time. That's what it is, right? His somehow changing times. So the France that should be 0
here is...where? Back in the forties? Or is he---he's got to stop thinking about this. It's pointless. And utterly confusing.
wishes she could clear his confusion, but she honestly has no idea what happens to her when she wakes up after a few days and someone tells_
her she was a tiny little cherubim, hiding from her big brother. "We'll see it happening." So maybe that's not what they did when the war_
was finally over... But she doesn't have to ruin his hope like that. And... He got back on his feet, eventually. She did, too. That's all
that matters.
can't imagine everything becoming instantly better afterwards. There have been plenty of times that when he thought maybe he'd survive, but-
he wouldn't ever recover. He's far more broken now than ever before. That he can recall, anyway. But he doesn't know what'd that mean, if he
doesn't ever rise back up to how he was before all of this. "I look forward to it."
just tries to maintain a positive outlook. Right now, what he doesn't yet know, she already does. Or some things; not everything, of course.
And she knows what happens after his time. But she can't make it all go any faster for him; she can't sit down and make him believe, in one
sitting, that everything will be perfect in no time. No history book is going to change the will of a whole nation, anachronistic as it
might be right now, in one sitting. "I did, too." And it's strange to refer to the past like that. But she's lived through it already.
notices how even some of the building looks different, but at the same time they look the same as he remembers. "I just hope that-
in the future, I can look after you better."
hums softly, perhaps attempting to laugh. She really doesn't know what to tell him; a lot has happened since then. "Well, I can't complain."
glances in her direction briefly. "I would like to be stronger, so I can protect your neutrality."
offers a tiny smile, perhaps a little sad, but still thankful. "I would be ever so grateful.. But they don't quite consider me neutral now."
thinks that must be someone else's fault. "How come?"
is silent for a moment, going over her words. "There is something we call NATO. It is a, ah... Military alliance, of sorts. And we were some
f the first to join.. Founders, I suppose. Because of that, I am not considered neutral now."
frowns a little. "Military alliance against whom? Les boches?"
quickly shakes her head. "Wes- *Germany* joined many years ago. Things have changed, my dear."
"...You're in alliance with Allemagne?"
lets go of his hand completely; she shouldn't have said that. She should have stayed quiet. "He's- he's different now..."
doesn't believe that, either. "Really. With whom has he started a war now?"
just keeps looking down at her feet, feeling a bit like a misbehaved child; like Francis would expect more of her. "He hasn't."
expected her to not make an ally in someone who's caused so much trouble for as long as he's existed. Francis just doesn't realise-
he's the same in that aspect. "I find that extremely hard to believe. He was raised for war."
didn't make an ally by her own choice *alone*; it's not as if she's walking hand-in-hand with Germany, even today! "And you were not? Or _
Spain?" She frowns. "It doesn't mean you can't become a better nation."
doesn't realise he *does*. He's too stubborn now to care about how biased he's being right now. "Not him."
clasps her hands together, always looking down; he must be so upset about this. "It's not as if I've forgotten nineteen fourteen. But _
nations change, as do their people." She pauses. "Must I remind you of Napoléon?"
frowns. "That is completely different than what is going on here."
tilts her head a bit lower. "I will grant you that point." But it doesn't give him anymore reason in the very end. "Point is, people change.
I used to be afraid of you and I still love you with all my heart."
stops walking and stares at her. "...That makes you better than most of us." He loves her, too, but he's definitely more spiteful in general
.
stops walking as well, but doesn't look at him. "Happy nations have no history, my dear; don't forget that. I'm no better than you or them."
pats her shoulder and nods. "I think you are, but I understand." He really does. That doesn't make him any less biased, though.
doesn't wince as she expected to, but rather finds that small gesture quite comforting. "I wish you could see... That they really have -
changed."
starts walking again. "I suppose...I will see when the time comes for me."
just follows him, this time reaching out to hold his hand, albeit a bit loosely. "I suppose I can go with that."
squeezes her hand gently, but after that he lets his grip loosen. "So, where are we now?" He means physically, here, on the sidewalk.
got that, don't worry. "Ah..." She looks around, trying to make sense of where they were walking from. "Quite close to the local park, it_
seems..."
nods after a moment. "Would you mind if we went there? I think it would be nice to visit there."
tugs at his hand, nodding slightly. "We can go, ja. That does seem nice."
smiles a little and lets her lead the way. "Thank you."
just nods again and tugs him along, taking slow, careful steps on the general way to the park; it doesn't take long to get there.
finds a bench to sit down on once they arrive. He's got a nice view, from here.
quietly sits next to him; she'll just watch him, although it really does bring back some painful memories. It's... Well, quite strange.
doesn't really have anything to say for now, but there are children across they way, playing happily. He's able to find comfort in that.
is glad for that. She can't... Convince him that everything will be alright, she knows that. She can't change his mind, when he's trapped in
Eva
a
different decade and he's feeling the way he did back then. She can only wait. And remain silent for now, lest she say something that sets_
off an unwanted reaction.
watches the children for a while, noting their innocent, seemingly carefree nature. "I'm glad to see your people happy."
is distracted for a moment - and it takes her a while to respond. "Eh? Ah...! Ah, yes." She nods. "Thank you... It really helps, nowadays."
nods. After a moment, he reaches over to hold her hand again. "Ouais. They deserve it."
smiles softly, glancing down at their hands for a moment. "They do. And so do yours."
"I don't want them to have to suffer again, like they are...in my time."
gives his hand a light squeeze. "Things will be much better, believe me. Not... Perfect, but they will be better."
nods and squeezes back. "Do you think it ever will be?"
remains silent for a moment as she thinks about it. "... I don't think so. But I keep hoping."
"I keep forgetting; such things are impossible in Europe."
leans against him and sighs. "It's impossible everywhere, my dear."
shifts a little to get an arm around her back. "True..."
hums softly, feeling quite comfortable for now. "We can hope. And maybe someday..." She doesn't finish that; she's hopeful but still...
just nods. It's foolish for him to hope for so much right now. One thing at a time...
wants to reassure him, but... She's said enough already, non? And her last words weren't so bright. "Your hands are so soft." It's a lie._
But she didn't know what else to say.
knows it is; they were soft at some point but now they're far too callosed for comfort. "Merci."
knows this all too well. But... She doesn't know how to act around him anymore. Lately it has been somewhat complicated, but like this, it_
seems impossible for her to be entirely comfortable; she's afraid to say or do anything wrong.
wishes there was something he could do, but he really doesn't know how to make it easier for her to be around him. He probably should -
be on his way soon though, so he's not an imposition.
wouldn't want him to go; hell, she's afraid of what he might do if he goes and stays by himself..
will stay as long as she'd like him to, then, as long as he's not a burden.
can guarantee that he's not; she's quite happy with his presence, despite his current state. She likes being around him.
is glad for that, then. He enjoys her company as well.
is glad that he does. She... Just wishes things weren't as tough for either of them, sometimes.
hopes for the same, but he honestly can't imagine what that would be like...
can assure him, better days will come by, eventually. All it takes is to wait..
will try to be strong and wait, then.
is glad for that; she knows he'll make it through. Eventually..