12. when I do count the clock that tells the time

[keepscalm]

Characters: [OU] England (keepscalm), close CR, and anyone who came from England's network post!
Setting: Room 1-20 and various; put your scenario in the subject line!
Format: Starting action, though I will gladly match! c:
Summary: Zo has given England a gift, and he wants to share it with those who deserve to know.
Warnings: Lots of ugly nation feelings, potentially lots of other ugly feelings too.


scenario A♛ Room 1-20 (closed to colonial)
[He wakes up with a thickness in his head that has stayed familiar, even despite all the other things that have changed since he arrived here. His nose is congested and there's a persistent tickle in his throat, despite the fact that there's nothing around to even get sick from.

July is finally upon him.

The glasses on the bedside table catch his attention before the notes. Trying not to disturb America with his shifting, he reaches over to grab the spectacles and the papers. He's touched by Zo's sincerity as he reads on; he hadn't expected a response, but he's glad that his gratitude was heard.

He's not sure about the glasses, though. Not that he particularly distrusts Zo, but England isn't certain how a pair of glasses is going to help anything. Still, he puts them on nonetheless.

Not much seems to change until he looks down at America. His stomach lurches unpleasantly at the sight of his tiny charge's soul within his body — not this, not again, he's tired of having this rubbed in his face — but something seems different, even with the gut reaction of rage and disgust at seeing America's soul.

When he tilts his head, leans in a bit closer, England can see that it isn't just one soul, as it has been every other time. It's— hundreds, thousands of souls, and then England realises: America's people.

His people, once upon a time.

They're all still there. America's soul is still— it's still America.

England sets a hand on America's shoulder and shakes him gently. His voice is urgent.] America— America, wake up.

[Maybe it's not real. Maybe it's just more of the glamour, and Zo has just given him an empty comfort. But England has never wanted more badly to see anything in his life.]

scenario B♛ Various (closed to close CR)
[He checks their dorm rooms first — Zelda is closest down from his, and then there's Link at the end, France is up a few floors — and if they're not there, he'll continue on to their usual haunts. The glasses are cradled protectively in his hands; he doesn't want to risk breaking them, and so despite being in a rush, does his best to avoid collisions with anyone.

When he finds one of the people he's looking for, he calls out their name. There's an excitement and urgency in his voice that's uncharacteristic of him even on a good day; it's downright surreal, given his emotional state during the past month.]

scenario C♛ Room 1-20 (open)
[He waits in his dormitory, seated on his bed with the glasses on the nightstand. The notes from Zo are tucked away in the drawer; they're a tad personal, and though England doesn't mind offering the comfort of the glasses, he doesn't really want to have to explain the details of his communication with Zo.

Of course, he can't be sure that these will offer anyone any comfort at all. But they at least deserve to see.]

Comments

A

[colonial]

[America shifts and curls, reluctant to wake up, but the urgency has him rubbing at his eyes and sitting up after not too long. He hasn't yet fully recovered from June, so he's still quieter than he really should be, but he's improving little by little as the days go on. Still, he can't help but be worried.]

Is something happening again?

[keepscalm]

No, it's— well, yes——

[As America stirs, England can see his soul shift along with him, and he raises a hand in a futile effort to cover up the obvious emotion on his face. He then uses that hand to pluck the glasses off his nose and offer them to America.]

—here. Put these on— be careful.

C

[bow_of_the_galadhrim]

[He hadn't been planning on doing much of anything, that first day. Just relaxing and enjoying a bit of peace, seeing what he could do to help other people and possibly finding something to make a bracer for Yotsuba.

The message on one of the terminals caught his attention though. The failure of the glamour system had panicked him, seeing himself as something other than what he was supposed to be. To say that he wasn't interested now would be a lie so the elf turned back from the direction he had been going to headed to the dorm room mentioned.

When he does finally arrive, he's armed as he usually is with worn green cloak sitting over his shoulders and knocking lightly at the door.]

[keepscalm]

[England hustles to the door at the sound of the knock, pressing the button to open it so that he can welcome his guest (or he assumes they're his guest, anyway; not many other reasons to visit this room).

The man on the other side looks familiar in a way England can't place. It's not a warm familiarity — rather, it's a somewhat uneasy one. But he can't put his finger on it.

It's not worth commenting on at current. England has seen many faces come and go in the Tower. Perhaps this is just another one he's seen in passing. He nods cordially in greeting.] Good day— may I help you with something?

C

[attheclocktower]

[Xion didn't see the network post, but she lives on Floor 1 as well, and the occasional person - much more than normal - filing past her door makes her get up and peek down the hallway to see where they're going. Finally, after the fifth or so time, she abandons working on her sundress and gets up, cautiously poking her way down the hallway to the room where she's seen people go in. She waits for the person before her to leave before carefully peering inside.

Inside is the man who'd come by room 1-01 earlier looking for one of her roommates. That in and of itself was enough that she was a touch less shy than normal. She looks left and right, as if expecting something else to be there. She hasn't seen the network post, so she has no real idea. At last, she looks at England directly, slightly confused.]

Hello.

[keepscalm]

[England looks up from his seat on the bed, startled a tad by the lack of a knock preceding the greeting. There's a girl at his door (oh, he'd left it open, he must have forgotten to close it before the last person left—), and he can't help but feel like he's seen her somewhere before.]

Hello. [He narrows his eyes just a tad; it's a discerning kind of look as he mentally tries to pinpoint where he's seen her before.] Have we met before?

B

[silencetoreason]

[France is hardly in the mood to be wake up so early in the morning, especially after a month full of sleepless nights, so it takes a while to rouse him. He gives a few groans that don't quite turn into full-fledged words to let whoever's on the other side of the door know he's coming, then takes his sweet time in getting out of bed.

When he finally gets the door open and slumps against the doorframe like simply being awake is some great labor, he doesn't look that perky. His hair is a mess, the deep bags under his eyes haven't even come close to fading, his slacks are wrinkled and riding low on his hips, and his shirt is unbuttoned and sliding halfway off of one arm.]

Eh? Angleterre, what do you want? I'm- [He rubs the sleep from his eyes and blinks rapidly, and when his vision finally clears, he wrinkles his nose in confusion. That expression isn't one he's seen on England's face in quite some time, and it's certainly not one he's ever seen him wear while in the Tower.] ...What is it?

[keepscalm]

[England uses the time it takes France to enter the world of the living to try and dial back his obvious enthusiasm. (Truthfully, he's not the most aware of his own emotional expressions, so when even he knows that he's too excited about something, it needs some work.) However, his success in this is debatable. He mostly manages to tame his smile, but hints of it linger at the corners of his lips when France answers the door.]

Up and at it, you lazy sod, there's something you need to see!

[And with very little preamble, he shoves the glasses onto France's half-asleep face.]

[mostremaining]

[Prussia pretty much blasts into England's room. Someone is excited to find another Nation, alright.]

Heyyyy, England! I had no idea you were here, man! How long have you been here? What did you find? Huh? Huh?

[Yup. Obnoxious as always.]

[keepscalm]

[England just about jumps out of his skin at the intrusion, standing up off the bed and reaching for his knife out of reflex.

He lets his hand rest in the moment after he quickly realises that it's Prussia, though he's still obviously frazzled.] Oi— do you mind? [You can't just come into someone's room like that, it's very rude!]

C

[fuhgeddaboudit]

[Labrys fidgeted as she stood outside the room specified in the network post; she wasn't really certain why she still had doubts. She knew she had a heart--it was the only thing she really did know. But what Labrys had such trouble understanding was what that meant. A heart and soul were supposed to be the same thing, and yet still there was that nagging sense of what am I really in the back of her mind.]

'Scuse me, uh... [She knocked lightly on the door with a metal hand, speaking a little hesitantly.] ..D'you mind if I come in?

[keepscalm]

[The voice on the other side sounds tentative — which England supposes he can sympathise with, given his initial reaction to being presented with the glasses. He stands and opens the door to her; his expression is mostly impassive, but there's a softness in his eyes if one looks closely.]

Not at all. [He moves aside to let her in.] You're here to see what was mentioned on the network, I presume?

[crouching_sin]

[He's hesitant at first. He's not sure what this is about, but he wants to know. That's why it's a bit later that Naoya heads to England's room, knocking on the door. He's left his haori in his room for once. He doesn't need to be flashy.]

[keepscalm]

[The main rush of people interested in the glasses seemed to have died down a little while ago, so England is a bit surprised when someone else comes knocking at his door. He stands silently, brushing off his shirt, and goes to answer the door.

The man's face is familiar to him, though England can't say he has a name to go with it. He knows that they have spoken, however.]

Is there something you require?

B

[sageprincess]

[Zelda is... awake-ish by the time Arthur makes it to Room 1-09, fortunately. June threw her sleeping schedule severely out of whack, and honestly, the only reason she's in her room at all is because yesterday had been the last day of the month, and thus the last day of Ruana's "game." Fortunately, Arthur's calling means she doesn't immediately notice the head administrator's little note regarding winners and scripts, which means she's already off to a better start than she would have been.

Not quite in a nightgown but also not quite as put together as she normally is, the Princess opens the door, running her fingers through her hair in an attempt to look a bit more presentable.]

Arthur...?

[Goddesses, please don't tell her you almost permadied again--

... Wait. Something's weird here.

Arthur looks downright giddy.]

... Did something happen?

[Did Ruana keel over or something while she wasn't paying attention because that's honestly the only thing that immediately comes to mind that might explain why he seems so happy after a month of monsters and existential crises.]

[keepscalm]

[As he waits for Zelda to answer the door, England's enthusiasm abates slightly. He's— nervous. He hasn't exactly kept in the best communications with Zelda lately, and he's sure she's been worried about him, if her reaction to his elevator venture was anything to go by. Not to mention the fact that he has very distinct memories of attacking her at the barricade (though those will remain unresolved if he has anything to say about it; she doesn't need to know).

Zelda opening the door gives him another rush of anticipation, and he gives a sheepish smile in response.] I— well, that is— I left something for Zo. In the suggestion box, you see.

[He holds his hands out to present the glasses; it's clear from the way he handles them that he's irrationally worried about breaking them.]

...he gave me these.

C

[seekinganswers]

[The post on the network had definitely stirred Sheba's curiosity. So she makes her way to room 1-20, pauses at the door, and then reaches up to knock quietly.]

Umm... it's Sheba. May I come in?

[keepscalm]

[There's a name he recognises, albeit not from very fortunate circumstances. He answers the door with a pleasant half-smile.]

Of course. [He waves her in with a small motion of his hand. As he speaks again, his smile turns a bit wry.] It's been a little while.

[alae]

[He's not sure he wants to do this, but whatever. Dark Pit knocks on England's door. One of the rare times he checked the network and something weird was going on. He just needs to make sure...]

[keepscalm]

[He has to answer the door manually, since they don't open from the outside for anyone not assigned to the room. Presumably, the unfamiliar young man is here for the glasses.]

Hello. May I help you?

C

[sawthelockdown]

[There's a knock on the door.

... Asako isn't sure why she's here - all she knows is that she is here. She thought she'd gotten over it, but-

But maybe I need to know once and for all, one last confirmation, and then I'll let go.]

[keepscalm]

[As has become routine today, England presses the button to open the door in answer to the knock. He nods politely to the young woman standing outside.]

Good day. Is there something I can do for you?

[Though he assumes she's here because of the network post, he'd rather not explain it to her if she's not, so he doesn't ask directly.]

C

[evokingfool]

[Minato saw the post and almost hesitate to come. Compared to other Persona-users, he knows his soul isn't like theirs. His sea of the soul house many Personas, even when he can't reach out to them.

But after thinking about it, he made his way over to the dormitory. Room 1-20.

Knock, knock.]

[keepscalm]

[England opens the door for the simple knock, his hand resting idly against the wall near the button as the door blooms open to reveal the person on the other side.

His heart just about drops to his feet. This is a face he hasn't seen in a while, one that goes to a name that has been in the graveyard for some time, and one England was pretty content with never seeing again after that awful infighting game.

The hand against the wall tenses, and really, so do his arms and shoulders. But he forces cordiality into his voice (and it's probably a good thing he does, given he's unaware that this Minato is not the same as the one who wronged him more than a year ago, now). It's clear that his politeness in this instance is practised, not natural.] ...can I help you?

C

[ghostytrainer]

[John saw little point in responding to England's network post, as the man's room was so close. He could walk there from the terminal in the time it wold take him to rsvp and ask questions. John's soul isn't particularly special, but he is fairly curious as to what this is all about.]

[So after logging off of the terminal, he makes his way over to room 1-20 and taps out the seven note melody of "shave and a haircut" on England's door.]

[Because knocking like a normal person is overrated.]

[keepscalm]

[Well, that's certainly a bit of a ridiculous knock. England allows himself a roll of the eyes in private; it's probably some hooligan playing a prank.

But, not to be the ruder of the two, England opens the door anyway. He can't speak for whether or not the kid is a hooligan, but "ridiculous" was definitely on the mark. This is the one who called him "Archibald".

It's a little obvious how his eyebrows draw down as he recognises John.] Did you need something? [Well...his tone is mostly polite (mostly), but that's not really the nicest way to ask.]

C

[warriorscribe]

*Enoch had seen the post. He wanted to know what it was that could let him see these things, and...to be honest, he wanted to know if his soul was that of a human. To be able to see firsthand these changes to his soul...

So he lightly rapped on the door. You've got another visitor, England.*

[keepscalm]

[When England opens the door, he's surprised to find that he recognises this face, too. Though he isn't exactly sure from where (meaning it was probably only a passing meeting), and he has no name to partner with the countenance, so he doesn't comment. He merely offers a polite greeting.]

Hello. Is there something you require?