and the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air

[colonial]

Characters: America, France, England, open
Setting: the cafeteria and the library
Format: action
Summary: America finally learns about the Fourth of July
Warnings: tiny colonial baby learning about that whole revolution thing

A; Cafeteria - CLOSED TO FRANCE
[It wasn't unusual for America to wander around the Tower on his own, at least a little bit. More than England knew about, really, but being in the cafeteria was hardly unusual for him. And they had good food again, so America was taking advantage of it. He'd stacked chocolate pancakes high enough they were a hazard to carry around, and he'd been unable to choose between chocolate or strawberry milk and had thus gone with both.

He's in a good mood today! What could go wrong?]


B; library - OPEN
[There were books scattered everywhere, some in piles, some open and abandoned, some left dangling off of chairs--it looked as if a small hurricane had taken place in the library, and given this was the Tower that wasn't impossible. But the real source of all the chaos is sitting on a book shelf he's rapidly clearing out. He's got a dictionary on his left and he's reading something else--but eventually he sighs and tosses it onto the ground.

This explains the state of the library.]

There's nothing here! It's not here at all!

C; England's room - CLOSED TO ENGLAND
[And, after tearing the library apart and finding absolutely nothing that would help as far as intricate details went, America had to return to England's room in the evening exhausted and unhappy. He knows England is sick--he was sick last year around this time, too--and he doesn't really want to bother him, especially with something France basically said was going to make him sad.

Instead he climbs into bed and tucks himself against England's side, trying not to look too downcast. He still looks really unhappy and frustrated, though, in spite of his best efforts.]

Comments

[tohko_amano]

[And that's the final straw. Quickly, Tohko picked up the book, made sure that it wasn't damaged, and set it on the nearest table before rushing back to the little kid. While she wouldn't try to climb the shelves, she would try to reach up and grab his clothing or a leg.]

You brat! Get down here and apologize!

[colonial]

[America draws back on the shelf. He's small enough he can fit into one and high enough up that it would be difficult to reach him without making use of one of the ladders.]

You can't make me!

[tohko_amano]

[While Tohko normally wouldn't want to take the risk of harming the books-and still didn't-she sometimes lost herself when she got too mad. So, she huffed and, carefully, walked to the opposite side of the shelf, cleaning up books as she did so. As usual, Ivan followed her as she cleaned and started to pull the ladder over to the shelf the boy was sitting on.]

Yes, I can! Don't make me do it, because I will!

[colonial]

[America backed away from the ladder, inadvertently knocking over a few more books to make more room on the shelf.]

You can't! Go away! I'm doing important stuff!

[tohko_amano]

Ah!

[And Tohko propped the ladder on the shelf to pick up the kicked books and set them on a nearby table before glaring at the boy again.]

I don't think you heard me the first time then! Come down, clean up, apologize, and then I'll help you with whatever you're doing! Librarians are here to help people, but it's not fair to us and everyone else here if you're making a mess like this!

[colonial]

[Something in what she says makes him cling to the dictionary he's carrying around defensively.] Lots of stuff's not fair but it happens anyway!

[tohko_amano]

That's true..but that doesn't mean that you have to increase the number of times cruel or mean things happen! This poor library's been through enough, you know!

[colonial]

The library's part of this place and this place is stupid! [America sulks on his bookshelf perch for now.]

[tohko_amano]

This place isn't stupid! I will admit that there are illusions being used here..but that isn't the Tower's fault. It's not like it's sentient. That's the Administrators fault, and, like I said, the books here can save people. They're not stupid at all!

[colonial]

This place is stupid. [America won't back down on that.] And books can't save anyone.

[tohko_amano]

[If there was anyone who knew that was a lie, it would be Tohko.]

That's not true! I managed to save a friend of mine back home with books, and I've helped out quite a few other people with them! Books can save countless people! And while I'm not a huge fan of this place either, it's not its fault that it's horrible.

[colonial]

Books don't save people, they just sit there and are paper and ink and stuff.

[tohko_amano]

That's not true! When people open up a book and read the words that people write with the ink, they can be moved and shown different things! Happy things, sad things, bittersweet stories..all sorts of things can lie between the covers of a book! That is what saves people!

[colonial]

That wouldn't save anybody from a monster!

[Unless you had some sort of book-related superpowers, maybe.]

[tohko_amano]

It might! After all, some fantasy books and other stories that deal with monsters have methods that work in real life!

[Hang on..a few pieces were clicking together in Tohko's head.]

Don't tell me that you were attacked by one of the monsters this month though. Or were you one of them?

[colonial]

[America pouts further; today is bad enough without being reminded of that, in his opinion.] I already said sorry on the terminals.

[He pulls himself up a bit higher, to a new shelf. A few books are dropped to the floor in his scramble.]

[tohko_amano]

[Oh..he must have been the person with bad grammar..the person she thought was a little kid anyway. Tohko sighed as she picked up the books that fell down to the floor and put them on a table, to be sorted later.]

I know you did, and it's good that you did..but while these books might help prepare you for the next time you turn into a monster, they're not going to be of much use to you or anyone else if you treat them so roughly.

[colonial]

Maybe if I threw one at a monster real hard. [America pouts.] That's not what I'm looking for anyway.

[tohko_amano]

That would probably just stun a monster..but what are you looking for?