(no subject)

[pixietea.livejournal.com]

Characters: England and all you positively insufferable wonderful people!
Setting: Floor Three
Format: Starting with prose/paragraph/whatever you want to call it, but I'll match.
Summary: Apparently the Shakespeare collections he brought with him aren't enough -- actually finding the library in this godawful place was a small blessing.
Warnings: Language, most likely, gosh England that's so improper (also mild suggestive themes, courtesy of him and fem!France)


The kingdom breathed a minor sigh as he turned the page, away from the inquiries of comedians and further into the tale of one 'Cesario'. A stack of books flanked each side of the open copy of Twelfth Night on the table; one stack for the books he had finished (currently, about three), and a stack for the ones that had not yet been opened.

Getting down to this floor had been a nightmare. England didn't mind stairs -- he was no lazy American, after all -- but this was just ludicrous. The place was a scientific disaster and a magical marvel. He was less disturbed by the physical impossibility than he was by the chance of hostile supernatural figures lingering about. It didn't take a mage adept to realize that a place like this could easily have them, just by looking at the way the tower defied physics and logic.

But at least he'd suffered no loss of limb nor any encounters with anyone he'd rather not meet with on the way down here. And, thus far, he'd had no significant disturbances.

Now all he needed to do was just stop thinking about the damn building and relax enough to enjoy what he was reading.

Comments

MY CHILDDDDDD <3

[pixietea.livejournal.com]

"Hm?" England's response at this was a quiet hum as he looked up from his book to peer at the child that had addressed him. Familiarity rung in the lilt of the boy's words. So some of his people were in the tower.

He regarded the little boy with polite curiosity before following the line of his finger to the copy of Midsummer. "Ah, you're free to take it, if you'd like," replied the nation with a cordial smile. "I've certainly read it enough times." Following that, he set aside Twelfth Night so he could gently slip Midsummer out from the stack.

Once he'd gotten it out without upsetting the rest of the pile, he held it out to the child. "It's an excellent play," remarked England, voice soft in consideration of his environment. "Have you ever read it before?"

PAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAPAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

[lilpuzzleteer.livejournal.com]

Luke took the book graciously, nodding, though clearly curious. "You have?" Read it enough times, he means. The book was quickly thumbed through, as if to check it's validity, before Luke picked his head up once more.

"Ah- yes, with the Professor." The boy wasn't about to admit it'd been a bedtime story one of the nights he'd slept over- that just didn't sound dignified at all. "It has been a while, and I have never had the chance to read it on my own- I've enough free time now that I should be able to with no trouble."

...there wasn't a single trace of scorn in his voice. Not at all, no way.

<3

[pixietea.livejournal.com]

England allowed himself a quiet chuckle. "Indeed. It's one of my favorites, in fact," he confirmed. Nothing quite captures the whimsy and magic of his folklore as Midsummer does.

He turned in his seat to better face his conversational partner, smile fading to a look of mild intrigue. He didn't miss the subtle vocal cues in the statement, but it was probably best not to pry. So, he instead opted for what seemed to be the less sore of the topics. "The 'professor', hm?" he repeated inquiringly. "You both have good taste, to enjoy the works of William Shakespeare."

<3x2

[lilpuzzleteer.livejournal.com]

"I've been reading a fair bit more since I got here." Luke held the book under one arm, and finally made a one moment signal, and dragged a chair over from a nearby alcove. If the gentleman wasn't shushing him, then discussing literature must have been okay after all.

"Oh, the Professor says it's important to know the classics." Luke plopped down, Midsummer in his lap, putting on his thinking face. "The other one the Professor read me was...Macbeth, I believe. I didn't enjoy that one as much."

<3x3? ...that looks weird.

[pixietea.livejournal.com]

After the young boy retrieved a chair and sat, England resumed the conversation. "And I as well. I've been reluctant to venture too much, but I fear I've exhausted the reading material in that particular trunk." Old men do get bored sometimes. Though perhaps it was less being bored and more being antsy that led him to the library.

The nation skimmed over the spines in the stack, Macbeth among them. "The professor is correct," he agreed. "A proper gentleman is educated in all matter of classical material."

At that, he glanced more carefully down the line of titles. "Some do find that Shakespeare's tragedies are not as much to their tastes, yes. If you enjoy A Midsummer Night's Dream, I would suggest his comedies and romances instead." He didn't want to babble on by listing off what were comedies as opposed to tragedies, though he would provide the information if the lad wanted it.

<6 is weirder, arguably.

[lilpuzzleteer.livejournal.com]

"How long have you been "rescued" for?" Luke, again, didn't bother to reign in his sarcasm, leaning his chin on his fist with a groan. "I've given up on avoiding books from times other than my own, and just began reading whatever struck my fancy." It didn't sit right with him...but time travel wasn't a thing he wanted to think about.

Luke did feel better when the blonde agreed with the professor's say. He remained attentive for the rest of UK's explanation of Shakespeare, looking thoughtful for a moment. "Does Romeo and Juliet count as a romance or a tragedy?"

And then a beat, "Oh! I'm sorry, I've been dreadfully rude. My name's Luke."

...that's a very sad, half-collapsed heart.

[pixietea.livejournal.com]

The sarcasm was almost endearing. This boy was well on his way to being a true British man. At the question, England's considerable eyebrows furrowed. "I'm not entirely sure, if I am to be honest," he answered after a beat. "For over a week now, I'm certain. Perhaps two." He didn't linger on the mention of "other times", or at least he tried not to. Thankfully the good Doctor had mostly desensitized him to the idea. Mostly.

"Romeo and Juliet is considered a tragedy," the kingdom replied amiably, "But it is a fair question. Generally, the stories leading up to one or more deaths among the protagonists are considered tragedies."

At that, he chuckled. "You're excused; I fear I've been rude in this regard as well." Even though, truthfully, he was trying to gauge whether or not to give this boy his human name or his nation name. "My name is Arthur Kirkland. You may call me whatever you see fit." After his introduction, he inclined his head in echo of a bow. "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Luke."

...you made it depressing. Congrats.

[lilpuzzleteer.livejournal.com]

"...you've been here that long?" Color Luke surprised. "Well, I suppose I shouldn't be so slackjaw- there's plenty of people I haven't seen yet."

He paused,and nodded a bow as well, tipping the brim of his hat. "Well, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance too, Mr. Kirkland!" For some reason, this guy just...felt like someone one should respect. Which, of course, got him to thinking.

"You sure do know quite a bit about literature. Are you by any chance a professor yourself?" An honestly curious question.

...I didn't mean to. :C

[pixietea.livejournal.com]

England nodded. "I have. I stayed in the dormitory for a while, I'm afraid, gathering my bearings." You know, sorting out all the stuff in his trunk, brushing up on his spells, reading, drinking tea. That stuff.

Luke was offered another pleasant smile, though England wasn't really sure how he should answer that question for a moment. "I'm not a professor, no. Simply an avid lover of literature and the English language." He's proud of his culture. Especially old Shakey.

:C its k bby i forgive you

[lilpuzzleteer.livejournal.com]

"...I can't blame you. It's best to gain your bearings now than wait for something bad to happen again." And even more bitter sighing. He's going to be forty in about two posts.

"Ah, so a hobby then?" The 'deduction' was met with a proper grin, and Luke leaned back in his chair. "You wouldn't mind if I asked for other suggestions then, would you? I'm running out of ideas, I'm afraid."

;n; how can you ever love a wretch like me

[pixietea.livejournal.com]

"My thoughts exactly," conceded England. Admittedly, some of the time spent "gathering his bearings" had also been making sure his gun and his knife were still in working order. But that wasn't something he really wanted to spring on a child.

His lips quirked in an amused smile. "I suppose you could call it that, yes." It was more like 'an integral part of who he was as a country', but. Hobby worked for now. At the request for suggestions, England took to looking at his assortment again, and delicately began to pluck out the comedies he saw.

"There's nothing that quite captures the same magic that A Midsummer Night's Dream does, I'm afraid," he warned, setting the books aside. "However, there's certainly a selection."

Once he'd picked out three books, he gently slid them across the table to Luke. And then, almost as an afterthought, he added the one he had previously been reading to the stack of recommendations as well. "I would say to start with these," started the Englishman with a smile. "Though I can give you a complete list of all of Shakespeare's comedies, if you would like."

Upon further examination, the stack contained Twelfth Night at the top, then Much Ado About Nothing, followed by The Comedy of Errors and As You Like It.

because you are bootifullllllll c:

[lilpuzzleteer.livejournal.com]

Luke scooped up the books, lingering longest on Twelfth Night, seeming a bit troubled about it. After a moment of hesitance, he set that one back, but kept the other three.

"You can finish reading that one, then I can borrow it, okay?" The man had just been thumbing through it. He should at least get to finish it.

"I...have to say." Luke's voice grew quiet, "I do feel much better. I was getting quite homesick for London, but..." Being around another Brit did a lot better for his nerves than he thought.

;w; you are too kind to me

[pixietea.livejournal.com]

England set a questioning gaze on the returned book. The rationale drew a smile. "Well, thank you. I'll tell you as soon as I've finished, then." What a considerate boy. If only all children could be that way.

His expression transitioned to cordial intrigue when Luke started to talk again. It gradually softened to comprehension, of a magnitude that Luke was probably not anywhere near fully aware of. "I assure you, Luke," he started softly, giving an understanding smile. "Your homeland is always with you, even when it is not the earth beneath your feet."

In more than one way, as it turned out.

cos you're worth it bby >:U

[lilpuzzleteer.livejournal.com]

"It's not a problem! Surely we'll run in to each other again, right? It's not as if there's so many people here." Luke nodded, but was internally chastising himself. Just because he missed the Professor didn't mean he could...imprint that on some other person just because they reminded him of Hershel. It wasn't right.

But the mental tussle was enough that Luke grew quiet, shifting awkwardly in his chair. He wasn't readily aware of how much time he was letting pass, too busy weighing proper behavior with instinct, especially in lieu of the comment about his homeland. Finally, he did speak up again.

"...if you don't mind me asking...why are you so familiar? Have we met before?"

...i thought of shampoo. because i'm worth it.

[pixietea.livejournal.com]

"If that fails, you may find me in Room 1-20," England replied pleasantly. "I certainly wouldn't mind company. Perhaps for tea, as well." Luke was clearly feeling a little lonely, and that was a feeling that England knew all too well. He didn't want someone that was surely one of few remaining of his people to feel that way too.

The question settled in the air, and England gave Luke a somewhat wondering look. Well, he did say he was from London, didn't he? And children are very perceptive. He would know best about something like this.

"...we have never met formally," he eventually replied, "but I think you know a great deal about me regardless."

.~*L'Oréal*~.

[lilpuzzleteer.livejournal.com]

"Oh!" Luke twinged embarrassed, looking away and giving an awkward laugh. "I'm in 1-20 as well, actually. Though I'm usually out and about before anyone else wakes up..." Well, he wasn't as observant as the Professor by any means, so maybe it wasn't so bad. Besides, staring at people while they were asleep seemed...rude.

"Huh?" Luke's attention was dragged back to the familiarity discussion, leaning forward in his chair and trying to scrutinize the other man. "You...wouldn't happen to be a politician, would you?" If he was one of Prime Minister's friends, things would probably become awkward damn fast.

Re: .~*L'Oréal*~.

[pixietea.livejournal.com]

England's eyebrows raised a margin. "Is that so?" he prompted with interest. "I suppose contacting one another won't be out of the way, then." That was certainly nice, if a bit of a strange coincidence. But England wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth.

Oh, lord. Politicians. England gave a lightly amused chuckle, though it rang with the implication that he probably shouldn't have been laughing at that time. "I'm heavily involved with them, but I wouldn't consider myself to be one," he admitted. Unless forcefully taking control of a quarter of the world counted as politics? I mean, that was almost as ruthless.

The smile eventually tapered, and the kingdom looked down to Luke. Well...would there really be any harm in telling him the truth? "Luke," he began, with the practiced patient tone of a father figure. "If I were to tell you a secret, would you promise to keep it close to your heart?"

[lilpuzzleteer.livejournal.com]

"...an advisor? Or..." Luke seemed fit to trying to figure out the puzzling origins of Mr. Kirkland's familiarity, but eventually he succumbed, and nodded his head.

"Of course I'll keep a secret. It wouldn't be proper to spread someone else's business, of course."

The look on his face proved he didn't exactly anticipate the weight of the secret, but who could?

[pixietea.livejournal.com]

England left the matter of politicians alone for the moment. He was about to answer Luke's question regardless, so there was no need to comment. He smiled at Luke's reply. "That's very correct." At the worst, Luke would simply not believe him. But...well, he had hope, despite the centuries that had jaded him in many other regards.

"Do you know what a personification is?" the island nation questioned. He liked to consider himself and the other nations more than mere "personifications", but he found that it was the easiest way to explain their existence to humans.

[lilpuzzleteer.livejournal.com]

Luke knit his brows, frankly confused as to where this subject was going. "Yes. A personification is like an effigy representing a subject or idea, correct?"

[pixietea.livejournal.com]

"Right," agreed England. Well, they were part of the way there. Now came the hard part.

He found himself taking a discreet deep breath before he finally spoke again. "...I am the personification of the country of England." Despite the heavy (and frankly insane-sounding) statement, the kingdom let out a wry chuckle following it. "So, not quite a political advisor."

[lilpuzzleteer.livejournal.com]

"The...huh?"

To say Luke was bewildered would be an understatement. He went through several levels of cheekpuffing, brow narrowing, and pouting before finally tilting his hat back with a huff.

"If...if I wasn't accustomed to the peculiar, I'm not sure I would have believed you." Not that he was sure he completely did, yet. "Um, how, might I ask?"

[pixietea.livejournal.com]

"Well, you've got a leg up on many of the others that I've attempted to tell," England said good-naturedly. He was glad Luke was even giving him a chance to explain -- as he said, it was a much better reaction than some he had received in the past.

"...I'm not quite sure," was the eventual, honest reply. "I have simply...been, as long as I can remember. I cannot recall my earliest days. I was once a child, though, much as you are now -- about a thousand years ago." He kept an understanding smile as he spoke. "Humans refer to it as 'history', but it's all memories to me."

[lilpuzzleteer.livejournal.com]

"...this is fascinating." Luke was saucer-eyed, but sat up at the edge of his seat, seeming excited all of a sudden. "Could- maybe they brought you here so that Britain won't be destroyed? I mean, if you are here, and you're...England, then England can't be destroyed."

Luke wasn't aware of the deeper meaning behind that logic, but as it stood, it seemed sound enough.

[pixietea.livejournal.com]

England had never thought of it that way, and though he doubted that the motivations behind all of this were that benevolent, Luke's logic was commendable. "...well," he began in a somewhat reluctant tone. "...my body is reliant on the status of my country; not the other way around, I'm afraid. Though," his tone lifted a note as he started to add on, lips pulling into a smile. "The fact that you're here is good news for me in and of itself. You said you hail from London?"