❄ 5 | action

[welljustwatchme.livejournal.com]

[If you have a keen nose or happen to be passing by the spaceship, if might become apparent that someone's spent the better part of the day baking with maple syrup. (Adversely, if you happen to be inside the spaceship, chances are good you've already found the freshly baked stash of maple cookies big enough to feed the Royal Canadian Air Force (circa 1946, though) and are stuffing your American face.)

Should the maple not entice you, maybe the young nation in braided pigtails and an oversized sweatshirt repeatedly whipping a small rubber ball at the side of the spaceship will. With the stick in her hand, she catches the ball neatly no matter which way it bounces back to her, running back and forth to catch it, only to jerk the handle of the lacrosse stick, sending the ball soaring back to the outer wall of the spaceship once more.

It's obvious Canada is taking this as a serious bout of training, cursing those rare times she misses. It's been too long since hockey season ended for her and she's gotten slack at finding people to play lacrosse with her. She misses being able to pour herself into her national sports, letting herself get caught up in the fun and comraderie of the game, whatever it happens to be.

What probably isn't obvious is how sad, homesick, or absolutely tired of being forgotten she is.]

Comments

[welljustwatchme.livejournal.com]

I have no idea and my sister's sense of history is sort of... self-contained.

[restlessdevil.livejournal.com]

Haha. Oh well. Still, this is a very interesting place.

[Zenobia helps herself to a seat at the table, and looks on curiously at the drink dispenser. Her face lights up when she sees the cookies.] Yay!

[welljustwatchme.livejournal.com]

It is, yes. Help yourself.

[restlessdevil.livejournal.com]

Alright! [Zenobia takes a cookie and takes a small bite.] Oh! This is good! It's so sweet! [She takes another bite, moving a hand to her cheek.] I really like this.

[welljustwatchme.livejournal.com]

I'm so glad you do, Zenobia. It's my favourite cookie recipe.

[restlessdevil.livejournal.com]

[Zenobia finishes off the cookie, and lets out a happy sigh.] Delicious. You know, you're very talented, Canada. You're good at cooking, good at games, and have an upbeat attitude that makes you fun to be around. [Okay, not today, but Zenobia figures she's usually more like how she was when they first talked.]

You're also really really cute. [Zenobia gets another cookie, and this time, just slowly nibbles on it, enjoying every bite, while staring at Canada.] Mmm. I like everything about you.

[welljustwatchme.livejournal.com]

That's terribly sweet, you know. I don't think I've been so thoroughly complemented in years.

[restlessdevil.livejournal.com]

[Zenobia wonders if she went overboard.] I guess I can come on strong sometimes, but that's how I really feel.

I'm glad we're friends.

[welljustwatchme.livejournal.com]

That's okay. I'm glad we're friends, too.

[restlessdevil.livejournal.com]

[CanadaILoveYouMarryMePlease.] Yes. Friends. [She eats another cookie.]

Um... if you don't mind me asking... do you have anyone you're in love with?

[welljustwatchme.livejournal.com]

Umm.

... No. I mean, in a way, yes, a million times over, and it's really more complex than you probably care about, but here I can't- I mean, I didn't mean to... and well, Steph's gone now, anyway. So no. But it's complicated.

[restlessdevil.livejournal.com]

[Blinks.] A million times over... ... ... Wow. [She's even got Zenobia beat.] Well, let me just say, in regards to how much I care, that anything you want to talk about, I'm willing to hear.

Steph... You had someone here, and they disappeared!? ...Oh no. [Zenobia's stomach aches with all sorts of different emotions.] I'm so sorry. And now I've gone and brought it up and made you feel worse...

[welljustwatchme.livejournal.com]

It's okay. I mean, it wasn't like I wasn't thinking about her today already.

It's probably a good lesson for me, though. That's what the others will call it, at least. I'm the young and inexperienced one...

[restlessdevil.livejournal.com]

So... so that's why... [It clicks.] Canada... I... no wonder you're upset. I hope I haven't made things worse.

No. Please. You don't have to change. Love does hurt. Bad things do happen. But you don't have to close your heart to it. I don't want you to have to change.

[welljustwatchme.livejournal.com]

I'm going to end up alone, regardless of how I spend my years. Letting humans get close too close to my heart that way is just... stupid. It's not worth being with them to lose them.

[restlessdevil.livejournal.com]

I don't have any right to tell you otherwise. I'm a romantic. And people say things in the world never work as easy as I want them to. But still, I don't believe letting people get close to you is ever stupid.

You're really hurt right now. I probably shouldn't be saying things like this. But in the end, I hope that maybe you'll be able to cherish the feelings you have.

[welljustwatchme.livejournal.com]

No, I value your opinion, Zenobia. And even though every case is a little bit different and a little bit the same, the other countries have already gone through this, so I have to trust their judgement on this.

[restlessdevil.livejournal.com]

Well, I guess that makes sense, but-

Wait...

...

Other... countries?

You're a nation?

[welljustwatchme.livejournal.com]

Yes. Sorry, it's... confusing. I don't usually bring it up unless someone knows where my home is.

[restlessdevil.livejournal.com]

Oh. No need to apologize. [Zenobia needs a moment to take this in.]

That doesn't change how I feel, though. Canada is still Canada.

[welljustwatchme.livejournal.com]

And Canada needs to remember she hasn't had her independence long enough to start screwing it up with dating humans.

[restlessdevil.livejournal.com]

Oh...

I talked with a few people anonymously about humans and nations in relationships. It sounds so much more complicated than just a human-human relationship. B-but.... I still think it's wonderful.

[welljustwatchme.livejournal.com]

It can only ever be wonderful in short bursts. You're better off just loving your people and your flag, when you're one of us.

[restlessdevil.livejournal.com]

[If Zenobia noticed the cringe, she doesn't act like it.] B-but... you deserve love and happiness, just like anyone else! I mean, if you found someone who didn't age [She has to make an effort to not add "like me" to that.] then couldn't it work out?

...Or... that's what I want to say... but... then people disappear from here... and it's just not fair...

[welljustwatchme.livejournal.com]

No, it's not fair. So even if I found some magical ageless woman here who liked me, it wouldn't last, anyway, because as soon as you leave, you forget. And I hate when people forget me. It happens too much as it is.