can't seem to find his best kilt. Which was simply the worst thing to happen to him. Especially since he knew that Gaul was supposedly coming along with Rome thisn time around. He wanted to look his best when_
_he kicked Rome back into Brittania.
sighs as he runs a hand through his hair, staring at the ceiling of the litter he was being carried in. He hadn't really wanted to come along on this trip of Rome's, but the man had been terribly interested
in bring Francis along to show him off and teach him about he world outside of Gaul. The rocking of being carried carefully comes to a halt, and Francis can hear the sound of Rome's orders to his troops
and dismounting. They must have reached their destination at last. Francis peeks his head out of the carriage, glancing around before carefully stepping out to get a better view of the location.
Looks out through the trees when he hears the army approaching, cursing under his breath as he scrambles around for the nearest, cleanish, kilt. He yanks it down over his head,_
Yanking it down to cover his vital regions. When he's done, he emerges from the trees to confront Rome, all he while his eyes roaming the area for Francis.
_when he spots Francis off to the side, he begins to veer off towards the litter, making his way through the crowd. 'This is my land!' He_
Exclaims, pride leaking into his voice.
didn't really expect to be addressed right away, he had assumed any business with Rome would be the priority. So when he hears the prideful voice that seems to be heading his way he looks up in
surprise, furrowing his brow as he spots the red haired child coming towards him. "You... are Caledonia?" he asks dubiously as the other gets closer, eyeing the boy. When Rome has described the thorn
in his side that was Caledonia, he had pictured someone a little... more.
Grins boyishly upon hearing the question, chest puffing out with pride! 'Aye! I'm Caledonia.' He steps closer, looking the girl up and down. 'You're Gaul, right? Why don't ya run away from Rome?'
furrows his brow a little, unaware that the other was under the impression he was a girl. "Rome has given me a great number of great things, and helped
me become a civilized nation," he replies curtly. He won't mention how many times he had tried to do exactly that at the start.
makes a face at the little speech. One he has heard from Britannia over and over again. 'Who gets to decide what's civilised and what's not?' He looks around at the crowd of soldiers traipsing about his land.
_ "'Cause I don't think barging in like this is civilised."
hums at his answer, shaking his head. "Rome has taught us many great advancements to make our lives better. The man himself may not be perfect but his skills and ideas are..." he trails off, admittedly mostly
saying it to spite the redhead. "You knew he was coming," he points out.
crosses his arms, starting to get annoyed with the blond. She seemed to have an answer for everything. 'That's 'cause he's an idiot... and he's old...'
can't help the little smirk that tugged at the edges of her mouth at his reply. "Well I think the old idiot is probably expecting you to actually go greet him," he points out, glancing back
towards where he'd last seen Rome only to find the elder nation heading towards them instead.
looks around when Francis glances towards Rome, a strangled noise escaping from the back of his throat as he spots the imposing figure approaching. His whole demeanour changes, resembling a cat whose_
fur has been rubbed up the wrong way. In an action that alludes to his true level of maturity, he pulls down an eyelid and sticks out a tongue at the older nation before charging forward to kick_
the man in the shin. Rather than a thorn in Rome's side, Scotland appeared to be more of a pain in the man's butt.
blinks as Caledonia's entire demeanour changes, watching the other curiously and have to hide a laugh behind his hand as the other charges. Rome seems less pleased with the attack, but is quick to
bellow out a laugh and reach down to pick up the little runt and hold him at arm's length. "Caledonia!! Good to see you too my child, it's been too long. I see you've already met my wonderful little
Gaul?" he grins.
Squirms in the older nations hold, grabbing onto his arms in an attempt to loosen the hold. When that fails he glares at the man, 'Aye. I've met her!' He answers, starting to kick his legs_
In an attempt to connect and cause some damage. "What of it? Wanna show me all the pretty girls you have or something?" He seems to flush, shaking his head to rid himself of the thought.
"I still dinnae wanna join your wrinkly arsed empire." He finally connects a foot with Rome's elbow, yelping triumphantly.
|| Rome tries to be careful that Gregory's kicks can't land anywhere forceful, grinning at the boy's reply and quickly glancing back to Gaul, who was already distracted in talking to a soldier and
missed the fact Gregory thought him a girl. "Something like that! I wonder if you'd like to make some new and gorgeous friends to try and ease your loneliness," he answers, though gasping
and dropping the redhead when that foot connects with his elbow. He grimaces momentarily but goes back to smiling quickly. "My empire consists of the greatest minds and most beautiful countries
on this great earth," he answers, crouching down to be more at eye level with the brat. "There's a spot open for you when you change your mind~"
Lands on his butt with an indignant yelp before scrambling to stand up. His fists are balled up at his sides as the older nation kneels down_
, the words barely registering in Scotland's mind as he watches the man's smug mouth roll over the offer. He reaches over to tug on Rome's hair, giving it a harsh yank as he tries to climb up_
Ontop of him for a harsher attack. 'You can stick your slimy spot up your arse.'
|| Rome is secretly pleased at that yelp, though he frowns at the tug and as Gregory tried to climb him. He sighs, grabbing Gregory's ankles and yanking him off as he stands up, now holding him upside
down. "Tch, such a brat sometimes. I brought you a guest, you should at least try to be civil to them, hm?" He glances back to Francis, beckoning him over as he drops Gregory again. "Hey Gaul, why
don't you come talk with Caledonia a bit more? I've got other things to tend to." He had already informed Francis what his purpose for being here really was. Francis steps back over, nodding in agreement and
glancing back to Gregory.
starts to kick up a huge fuss as Rome hangs him upside down, the design of his meaning he's mooning the majority of the army Rome has brought with him. 'What does civil even fucking mean?' he asks, reaching_
out to try and hit Rome. The second drop is more startling with the first and accompanies a pained cry as he barely misses landing on his head. He takes a moment or two to gather himself, standing up just in_
time for Gaul to arrive. 'Gaul can come in, but you have to stay out, beardy git.' He pats down his kilt, stomping off towards the forest he had come from. He stops short of disappearing into the overgrowth,_
gesturing for Gaul to come along.
|| Rome sighs and looks away as he gets the full frontal view of Gregory. He smirks though at the pained sound, though Francis cringes sympathetically in pain as he steps up. Watching the red head storm back
to the bushes, Rome rubs his beard in thought and frowns, before kneeling to Francis. "Have fun, and let him know how great it is to be a part of an empire, my beautiful Gaul," he smiles, kissing the top of
Francis's head before shooing him along to head to Caledonia. Francis smiles at the little kiss and nods before running off to Greg.
Makes kissy faces as Gaul makes her way over, teasing the other nation. 'My name isn't Caledonia. It's Alba.' At least, that's what
_he had been called before Rome came along. He holds out a hand, offering Francis help as they embark into his land. For some reason, he
Felt as though Francis' clothes wouldn't hold up the deal. 'What were you called.... Before?'
hadn't been embarrassed at the kisses before, having been learning a lot of affectionate ways from Rome himself and getting used to it, but when he sees the mocking look Gregory's giving him he does flush in
embarrassment. "Alba?" he repeats, taking the offered hand and pausing next to him. "I... was Celtica..." he says hesitantly, glancing behind him to double check Rome hadn't followed after all.
Smiles, giving the other's hand a small squeeze. 'I think that's a really pretty name!' He begins to tug Gaul into his lands, wanting to_
Show off a little. 'Can I call you Celtica?'
purses his lips a bit but lets himself get tugged along, keeping up with him. "My name's Gaul now though..." he answers, remembering what Rome's purpose in bringing him here was. "I'd rather that, please."
Makes a face at the request, pausing in front of a fallen log that they're going to have to climb over. He lets go of Gaul's hand, climbing up_
Ahead before offering her a hand to help her up. 'Okay, Gaul. But you should call me Alba. Not Caledonia.'
watches him climb up, hesitating and lifting the edges of his robes with one hand and taking Gregory's in the other. "Thank you... Caledonia is a pretty name too though!" He smiles, but nods. "But
I'll call you Alba if you want."
bites back the urge to scoff as Gaul worries over his robes. He leads Gaul down the other side of the trunk and down a path_
Towards a loch. 'I don't like the name though. I think Alba is cooler.' And of course, he wants to be cool.
Francis
likes
his clothes! He follows along, looking around as they go and humming in response. "I guess it could be seen that way..." he answers. "...you know, being a part of an empire isn't so bad," he ventures, smiling.
Makes a sound in the back of his throat that sounds a lot like a scoff. 'I don't wanna have anyone messing up my lands.' He_
Pushes aside a tree branch, gesturing for Gaul to go through. There the two are confronted with a loch surrounded by green mountains. It's
A sight that causes scotland to puff out his chest with pride. 'He'd just turn this into one of those Aqua thingamajigs.'
frowns a little at the doubtful sound, but takes the help, carefully ducking through the opening to avoid snagging his outfit. "The aquaducts are great though! It's so much easier to get water to where it
Francis
needs
to go..." he trails off on his thought though, stepping forward to look around and take in the sight in front of him. It was pretty beautiful, he had to admit, but he was starting to get annoyed by this boy's
level of pride. "Well, you certainly couldn't use this water otherwise," he points out, though the look on his face probably betrays that he's admiring the sight.
makes a face, following Gaul through the opening. 'Why do I have to use it though? I have plenty of water elsewhere!'
Glances at Gaul's expression, annoyance somewhat placated by the look on his face. 'Let's go take a closer look!'
shrugs in reply to his question. "You might want to if you actually had a population." He blinks at the suggestion, looking back to the water and nodding. "Sure," he agrees, taking Alba's hand
again and smiling a little at him. "Lead the way.'
Flushes when Gaul takes his hand, nodding wordlessly. Any smart comments had been temporarily misplaced in the_
Face of that smile. 'It's not that hard to get there!' He assures, rubbing the back of his head with his free hand as he leads the man_
Down the path.
wouldn't have agreed if the path had looked too hard, else make Gregory carry him! But he nods and lets himself be lead, looking around as they go. It must be the scenery like this that Rome was
after, he figured.
Leads Gaul down to the banks, revealing a pebble beach. Sand beaches weren't really Alba's thing. 'What's Gaul like?' He asks,_
.finally feeling the colour leaving his cheeks.
.thinks that seems to suit the boy better anyways. "Gaul is super beautiful! And I can support a great number of humans with how giving the land is," he grins, his turn to puff up a bit in pride. "You should
come see it someday," he nods.
Smiles, 'I want to. Maybe after Rome stops bothering me.' He lets go of Francis' hand to reach down for a pebble, throwing it_
Out to skim against the water. 'Why do you need to support so many people though?'
hums a bit at that. "I don't think that'll be any time soon," he laughs softly, crouching down to pick up a few more smooth rocks to skip, offering a few to Greg. "My people are thriving because of
Rome's help! Lots of people can live in Gaul now," he boasts.
Thanks Gaul, making it somewhat of a competition as he tries to beat each of Francis' attempts, failing more often than not.
'I don't want his help though. I'm happy right now.'
notices Gregory trying to compete and can't help but try to up his tosses too. Though when he comes to the last rock in his hands, he just chucks it as far into the loch as he can instead of skipping
it. "Happiness is good. It feels nice to be strong though," he smiles, toeing a few rocks to see if there's other good ones for skipping. "Is there more you'd like to show me?"
*falls quiet as he watches the stone drop into the water with an audible plop. 'I'm strong enough to keep Rome away. That's all I_
.need." He rubs the back of his head, looking a little bashful before the question catches his attention. 'There is this really cool cliff_
. You can jump from! I do it all the time.'
.is pretty pleased with his toss, humming as he looks back to Gregory. "Is it safe?" he asks, intrigued. It had been a while since he did anything reckless like that, but maybe it was a good time to, when Rome
wasn't around.
Grins, 'I'm still about!' He indicates his head towards a slightly overgrown path! 'You're not scared, are you?'
laughs at that reply, unable to argue with the logic. He flushes slightly at the question though, puffing up a bit in bravado. "No, of course not...!" Maybe only a little.
pumps a fist in the air, looking pleased. 'Good. 'Cause I don't want to have to push you in.'
He leads Gaul to the path, a steep ascent to a nearby cliff.
He leads Gaul to the path, a steep ascent to a nearby cliff.
_'Are you gonna wear your dress?'
makes a face at the threat of being pushed in, but follows along after him. He pauses a bit at the question, finding Gregory's wording weird but glacing down to his clothes. "Hmm.. I'd better not
risk ruining it..." he answers. "Should I leave it down here?"
nods, 'It would be a pain going back up for it when we climb out....' He starts to take his own kilt off, hanging it on a tree. 'How come your_
Dress is so fancy anyhow??'
laughs a bit at that. "It's the newest fashion! Isn't it lovely?" He replies, giving a twirl to show it off. He strips off the garments pretty efficiently though, hanging them up from the same tree.
Watches as the dress flairs out around Gaul, having to admit that it suited the blonde nation. 'It looks good on....' He_
Pauses, rubbing at his eyes for a moment before exclaiming. 'You're a boy!!!!!'
blinks at the exclamation, looking at Greg strangely. "Of course I am? What did you think I was...."
Flushes, rubbing the back of his head. 'Well.... You're wearing a dress... I thought you were a girl.'
Mumbles, as a small add on, 'Plus... You're super pretty.'
goes to say something rude in return, but pauses and flushes a bit at the added on comment, thinking better on it. "...w-well I'm not. That's just rude," he replies, rubbing his cheek a bit in embarrassment.
Looks as though he regrets the misunderstanding, nodding. 'Sorry,' he mumbles... Unable to look at the other.
furrows his brow a bit, but decides its not worth ruining a trip over this. "...want to still go swimming?" he asks, despite feeling a bit selfconscious.
Nods, 'Yeah!' It's kinda less awkward this way, anyhow. He starts leading the way to the top of the cliff, 'How come your skin is so smooth?'
Is curious. Perhaps it was something to do with magic!
follows after him, fiddling with his hair. "Hm..? I take care of myself! Baths are amazing...." he smiles again.
Raises an eyebrow, 'What's a bath?' He doesn't seem convinced. Is it magic?
grins a bit at that, though trying to figure out how to best describe it. "Rome's built houses where there's like, a small pool of heated water... it's really nice to sit in, and it means you can keep clean so
much easier."
Shudders at the thought, shaking his head. 'Why waste time building that when you can go swimming?' He stops short of the_
Edge, grinning back at Francis. 'You go first! Otherwise you might chicken out'm
hums at that! "It feels really good too! The warm water is so nice again my skin~" He blinks and glances over the edge, feeling a bit nervous again. "...are you sure you don't want to show me how it's done
first?" he offers with a uneasy smile.
Shakes his head, 'You can't mess it up! All you have to do is jump!' He grins brightly, in what he hopes is a reassuring manner.
purses his lips, glancing over the edge of the rocks again in debate. He takes a half step back to get his footing, taking a breath and looking like he's about to jump... before suddenly grabbing
Gregory and shoving him over the edge instead!!
Shrieks as he suddenly feels his centre of gravity shift and the ground disappear underneath him. the shrieks soon turn to_
Laughter as his mind catches up with the situation. He lands with a huge splash, coming back up to the surface quickly. 'Ya git!'
grins as he watches Gregory fall, laughing by the time he comes back up. "That's for calling me a girl!!" He shouts back. He takes a half step back and jumps himself, shrieking with the adrenaline on the
way down as well; the move had given him enough courage to no longer hesitate. He comes up with a flip of his hair, grinning at Gregory.
Swims out of the way of Francis with a laugh, getting splashed as Francis lands in the water. He's there to greet the nation as he_
Resurfaces, splashing him. There seems to be something very akin to admiration in Scotland's eyes. 'That was sooo cool!'
makes a sound of surprise as he's splashed the moment he surfaces, laughing as he wipes the water out of his eyes. "Pushing you off a cliff was cool??" He laughs, arching a brow as he swims in place.
Waves his arms in excitement, cause a lot of splashing? 'Super cool!'
grins, shielding himself with his arms and trying to kick-splash him back. "You're a masochist," he teases.
Blinks. He's not quite sure what that means, but he knows that he doesn't want to be it. 'You're a masochist.'
Covers his face upon the onslaught of attack, trying to swim away.
laughs, slowly stopping the splashing. "Nuh uhhh," he replies. It might be a while til he realizes he is. He sighs happily now that he's in the water, floating on his back.
Furrows his brow, 'Uh huh!' He swims over, grabbing the other's ankle and giving it a yank. 'You're a big, auld, masochist.'
yelps as he's pulled and flails a bit to upright himself again. "Y-you dont even know what it means!" he accuses on a whim, sticking his tongue out.
Looks taken aback, 'I do too!!'
Tries to swim backwards, to avoid retaliation.
pushes a wave of water at him to splash, but it falls short as Greg get's out of range. He merely hums at him, sinking into the water up to his chin, happy to just float.
Huffs as his intelligence is questioned, sure he didn't even need to know what such a word meant. 'What does it mean?' He finally asks, sinking until_
His nose is barely above the water in hopes of hiding his blush.
blinks over at Gregory, grinning. Just asking the question clued him in that he was right. "it means you reeeeeeeally like it when people tease you~" he hums.
makes a face, springing back up to defend himself. "Who likes being teased?" He doesn't seemed amused by the prospect whatsoever and creeps closer, planning to get his revenge.
shrugs a bit, keeping a wary eye on Gregory and starting to swim backwards as the other approaches. "Rome seems to have some friends who quite like it..."
scoffs, "Of course Rome's friends would like it..." He suddenly reaches forward to tug on Francis leg, trying to tug him closer. "Do you like to be teased?"
gasps at the tug, tryingto kick him off, expecting he was going to drag him under. "I didn't say that..!"
let's go of Francis as one of the kicks lands on his arm. He holds the arm, rubbing it absentmindedly. 'Maybe not now... but you're a friend of Rome, right?'
feels a bit bad as it seems he'd kicked him too hard, but he's still keeping his distance in the water expecting retaliation. "Y-yeah, but that doesn't mean nothin..." He's a bit embarrassed
though because what if it did??
Raises an eyebrow, 'You'll be as much of a Sadich as those friends of Rome if you don't watch out!'
sticks his tongue out at him. "As if!"
Swims backwards, feeling as though he might have the upper hand for once. 'You're gonna be a big auld Masochist!'
frowns at him. "I'll show you...!" he protests, leaping forward as best one can in the water to tackle Gregory, trying to drag him under the water.