This Bandwagon's Full, Please Catch Another [China]

China was cleaning, and Natalya found this amusing. The man had a rather large house, and it was interesting to imagine China wandering around, trying to get all of it perfect. It wasn't as though Natalya didn't clean for herself, it was just that the exceedingly arrogant, condescending, controlling man in front of her didn't really seem the type. Then again, he certainly had a great deal to clean up, didn't he? She was almost amused. Japan had managed to do a little damage. Good for him.

She kept her expression blank, but Natalya was also quite pleased that she seemed to have successfully startled the complacent older man. Really, he should keep better guards around his house. Simply being old and strong did not make one protected, not at all. Letting a potential enemy get this close was a mistake. Had Natalya not announced her presence, she likely could have slit the scorpion's throat before the bastard had a chance to escape. That, though, hadn't been her goal in this visit at all. She wanted a conversation, and no matter how satisfying it would be to watch the China drown in his own blood, he was technically her ally so it would have to be a last resort.

"Is that any way to treat a guest?" she said, her voice a little bit more light and airy than it normally was (if someone really knew her, this was the first warning sign; she was rarely airy unless she was truly furious). "I only just got here, after all." And, okay, that wasn't really a lie. She hadn't been in the main part of China's house. Natalya had only been talking to Japan earlier, after all. And if she happened to not do anything about the fact that his escape was plainly imminent? It wasn't her problem, and China should have really had better security.

"If you must know who to thank," she continued, "Ivan only sent me in order to check on Japan. We had an interesting conversation, the two of us. I do not imagine I have seen him so wicked since his days as an empire. You have done a poor job keeping him in lock and key. I suppose I should report that back to my brother, but it is a bit late now, is it not?" She had a glint in her eyes already, though her tone was still light and even. It's a light jab, but that wasn't what she'd actually come here for.

"This, though? This was my idea. Ivan does not know. There is no need." And just like that, in her own way, Natalya is almost warning China: my brother's favor won't help you here. She doesn't know how China will react to the fact that she's acting autonomously. The older man was almost infuriating that way, the way he sometimes acted completely logically and other times let his arrogance take a hold of him. She somewhat hoped this would be one of China's arrogant moments. The little sister is acting without the protection of her superpower. How quaint (how deadly).

Natalya takes two long, graceful strides closer. She is still not terribly close to China, but she's no longer in the shadows around the room, instead standing cleanly in the light. Or at least, she should be. It is almost as though the shadows have followed her purposefully, giving her a much larger appearance than she should by all rights have. "See, I wanted to give you a message, Кітай," she says.

And then that airy expression suddenly turns oppressive and her previously light stance turns into one full of the coiled poison of snakes. Her already long shadow suddenly seems to start dancing. The room seems to get colder. Her voice is suddenly hard, flat, and deadly serious.

"Get the fuck away from my brother, вырадак."

Her knives glint in her hands as she stares down the older Nation straight-on.

He looked unsettled. Good. Let her be unsettling to China. Natalya didn't mind. In fact, if anything, it would help prove her point further than she already had if the older man was a bit unsettled by her, if the older man really did think she'd do the things she'd threaten to do. Not that she wouldn't. By the contrary, she certainly would follow through with any threats she wound up making, no matter how extreme they seemed. But threats only worked if the other party believed they were real, and seeming unsettling and unstable would simply cement that. 

Still, even now, it was plain to see that China remained an arrogant ass. He had an expression on his face that suggested that he still thought he knew exactly what he was doing when it came to Japan, and his dismissive suggestion to tell her brother whatever she'd like made Natalya scoff, audibly. She didn't particularly care that this showed exactly her opinion of the man rather plainly. Part of the point of talking to the man was simply to tell him that at least one person in Russia's household had copped onto his bullshit and would not take it.

And just as China didn't look the least bit intimidated by her (the fool), Natalya looked relatively unimpressed by China as she stood there, a knife in her hand, eyes narrow. It wasn't that she underestimated the man. That would be just as arrogant and foolish as she blamed China for being. Clearly, China had survived for thousands upon thousands of years, and there had to be a reason for that. It was simply that the man had either perfectly perfected the art of seeming to be a bit more of an idiot than he really was, or that, perhaps, he was growing complacent. She was assessing a threat, certainly, but nothing she couldn't find her creative way around. She had never been the 'strong' one. And yet, most people saw her as dangerous. There was a reason for that.

China's complete dismissal of her request was quite irritating. Fine, then. Two people could play at that game. She shrugged, her tense stance still plainly visible and yet something about it shifting to a tall, regal sort of one that seemed nearly as relaxed as it was commanding. "Oh yes, please do," she said. "I am resistant to several poisons, so I suppose it could not hurt much." Natalya knew perfectly well that China would take the implication that she thought he'd poison her as an insult. She knew perfectly well that he was at least mostly too "polite" to do that. 

"However," she added, "you do not seem to be taking this quite seriously. You see, you are playing with my brother. I do not appreciate it. He can be a bit, ah, too trusting." She paused, flipping her knife quietly and deliberatively through her fingers. "I am not.You do not have my permission to play with my family, to hide things, or to break my brother's heart. Quit your games with my brother or face the consequences."

Natalya watched China with narrowed eyes, quietly noting that he looked exasperated with her already. This was not a bad thing. Actually, it was probably a very good thing. The more irritated she made China, the more likely he was to slip up, somehow. She was, however, a little irritated herself that China's only reaction seemed to be that he was getting irritated, but he was the sort of person to underestimate a problem until it hit them in the face. Japan's recent escape was definitely proof of that. Actually, everything that China had done recently was proof of that.

Oh well. She supposed she'd just have to hit him in the face with it. Natalya didn't particularly mind doing so, if China was going to continue to be willfully oblivious. She nodded. "Certainly. Thank you," she said, not sounding but so particularly grateful as China told to someone to get their tea. The poor servant looked mildly terrified for the moment Natalya saw him. Then again, Natalya was glaring some particularly poisonous daggers at China, so she didn't entirely blame the man. If anything, actually, she'd just gained useful information: she was probably surrounded. Now, she was not necessarily surrounded by anyone who could stop her, but she was almost certainly surrounded.

Once the man left, she went back to glaring intensely at China. Or at least, she did at first. However, it wasn't long until Natalya's expression shifted. She let out a short bark of laughter as China spoke, her expression incredulous. "Am I prepared to suffer the consequences? Oh, Кітай, do you have any idea what you're talking about? Do you not think that I already have?" She tugged on the high collar of her dress. From the edges, radiation burn scars still crawled up from her chest. "Or have you simply forgotten?" 

She scoffed. Consequences. China had no idea what he was talking about or to whom he was talking to if he thought he could intimidate her with talk of consequences. She'd already faced all of hers. She'd probably faced enough consequences that it wouldn't matter if she had to meet anymore of them, as none of them could do but so much more damage than what had already been done. No, clearly China thought he was somehow putting Natalya in her place, thought he was pointing out something that would actually make her reconsider anything she was saying.

And then he kept on talking, and Natalya's knife continued to be threatening and she listened carefully to his words, filing them away for later. She wasn't quite certain what his point was, but if he was going to continue to ramble, she was going to continue to listen, take the pieces to put together at some point when it was more convenient for her to confront him over them. He was actively being condescending, and Natalya nearly wanted to laugh again. 'Small and insignificant'? China, news flash, but Natalya was well aware of how she was insignificant in the grand scheme of political maneuverings and strengths.

But she wasn't here about the war or about politics, was she? And as a person, as a human being, as Russia's sister? Natalya was anything but insignificant. She stared at China, looking significantly unimpressed. "Oh, are you done now?" she said. "Excuse me, it was hard to tell through your rambling." She made a dismissive motion before narrowing her eyes once more at the older man. He truly was an idiot sometimes, wasn't he? A dangerous one, certainly, but an idiot all the same. He certainly had missed the point of why Natalya was here, at least, and had just dug his hole deeper. If he'd any chance of Natalya approving before, he certainly didn't have any now.

"See, once again, I do not believe you understand what you are talking about. If you are trying to intimidate me, I feel I should warn you that there is very, very little that scares me anymore, and you certainly aren't one of them." She began moving closer, circling China like a panther circling its prey. "You also continue on about the War, about armies and politics. Кітай, you miss my point. I do not care about the war. This is not a political visit. No, this is a personal visit. And there, each of us are just as significant as the other when it comes to my brother's life, wouldn't think?" That was painful to admit, there, but Natalya wasn't going to be busy willfully underestimating her foes. 

"I am not just here because I do not trust you- though, believe me, I have never trusted you, and your constant words are not helping your case. I am here because you are playing with my brother on a personal level. And although I can do little to you as a Nation, as a person? I am very dangerous." She stopped directly in front of China, flicking her knife into the air once more, and then, suddenly, pressing it against his throat. "Consider this a warning to choose better games, Кітай."

Yes. She could already see that she'd have to use this somehow, this way that China continuously acted as though Natalya was some unruly child. She did feel some satisfaction in the fact that China was very clearly unnerved. Good. He should be. She was a threat, and it didn't matter how small of a threat China seemed to think she was. He should still at least be taking her seriously. Then again, the fact that he seemed to want to refuse to do so was likely working in Natalya's favor, so she really couldn't complain.

As for the odd things China was saying- later. A Nation, much like a human being, can only process but so much at once. Natalya very well knew her limits, and also knew that she was currently a little furious. She wasn't going to be able to make much use of what he'd been saying until she had some distance from it, so why bother for the moment? She'd certainly try to calculate it into her suspicions eventually, though. It was a mistake to mention it in front of her, certainly.

Natalya gave China a single raised eyebrow, amused. "What is it they say? Oh, yes- the road to hell is paved with good intentions. I have no reason to trust simply "good intentions". Try again." Natalya knew perfectly well that good intentions, after all, could be just as world-shattering, painful, and destructive as the people who actually wanted to see things burn. Few villains saw themselves as such, after all, and Natalya had felt the pain of too many "good intentions" to see them as truly good.

As for China's claim to having known her brother longer than Natalya had- perhaps. But had China sat with her sobbing brother, trying to convince him in a moment of weakness that no, he was not a monster? That yes, he was still lovable? That no, even if they had to leave, that they'd never really leave? Had China found a little boy in the snow, and held his hand despite barely being able to speak? Had China seen him at his absolute worst, his most deluded, his most monstrous? Had China seen him at his absolute best, filled with love that he didn't know how to express (that Natalya, too similar to her brother, didn't know how to express, either)?

China may have known her brother well enough to break him, but only Natalya and Iryna knew him well enough to put him back together again. To think otherwise was laughable. She wouldn't deign it with a response.

Natalya's face darkened, though, when China suggested she was doing this to hurt him worse. She didn't let China push the knife very far with the tips of his fingers, instead slicing it across them and moving it back into a very ready position. She does not speak, though she starts to bristle as China's condescending tone comes back into play. She smooths down her mood, though. Once again, this could easily be in Natalya's favor. She was young in age, true, but in spirit? It was hard to stay "young" after what her life had been.

"Oh? Do you claim to "know better" for me as well as my brother?" Natalya's expression was unimpressed. "That's hilarious." Her tone of voice as she said this was very, very flat, and made it clear exactly what she thought of the idea. She might be able to use China's condescension to her advantage, but she had definitely hit her absolute limit of tolerance for the man's attitude by this point in time. "Especially since I rather doubt you do for either of us. Frankly, I doubt anyone who claims to "know better" for other people, even more when they refuse to actually tell the people they're supposedly "helping" their intentions. You are hardly making a case for me to trust you more." 

Natalya, instead of backing down or leaving, was practically growling, her stance more belligerent, clearly only a few steps away from railing on China with her knives. Not simply threats- that was clearly not working. He said one more absolutely idiotic, condescending word, and she'd move on to lessons that would stick around a little bit longer. She had her limits, and China had hit it, and now he was likely going to have to pay for hitting it. Really. If he knew her brother so well, wouldn't you think he'd know the family's short temper? Even Iryna, after all, if someone managed to somehow provoke her, could be terrifying- she was just difficult to provoke. Natalya was significantly easier to provoke, though, and China had done a rather good job doing so. Oh well...

Well. China was asking her to put her knives away, and Natalya did not know what to think of that, besides the obvious fact that he was A, trying to hang her family over her head again (did he not understand what the entire problem here was in the first place?) and B, had no actual idea what he was asking her to do. She had just specifically said that she did not trust China, so there would be no putting the knives away. It didn't take a genius to realize that Natalya wasn't the sort of person to drop herself out of a combat stance when she felt threatened, and that also seemed to suggest that China continued to have no idea how to handle her and why she was so upset.

(Honestly, in some ways, China asking Natalya to put her knife away was significantly more rude than Natalya having the knife out-  well, maybe not, but at least Natalya was never putting up pretenses about what she was doing. China was doing something that would hurt her brother, of this she was certain, and while she didn't have the slightest idea what it was, she didn't like that China was getting close, and had her knife out during most conversations anyway at this point, since the world felt like it was falling off its axis around her- that was the exact sort of situation she'd prefer to be ready in, thank you.)

"My family probably would not expect me to put the knife away," she responded, mentally picturing her brother's nervous reminder that she wasn't supposed to be actually killing anyone today and her sister's somewhat protective, somewhat exasperated hand on her shoulder- but even if one of them had suggested that she'd put the knives away, they knew better than to expect she actually would (and it just hit her that by saying 'family' instead of brother, China was bringing her sister into this, which if it went a lick further, well...). "Though I suppose Ivan, at least, would be a little upset if I hurt you too badly."

Instead of putting the knife away, she grabbed for another one in her other hand. The irritating man ought to understand what that meant. Why, she was beginning to think she was upsetting him! The way he was talking sounded increasingly worried, really, or perhaps she was imagining it. He didn't have to worry, though- Natalya rather suspected that her facial expression had dropped beyond "blank and a bit angry" to "openly furious" at some point. Her sister? Sure, China claimed to care for her brother now, didn't dare say it as 'family' again, claimed to care for her brother- sure. "Cared for" does not always "will act in the best interests of", and this did not change the fact that China was a scorpion that she wanted nowhere near her brother.

She pretended not to hear him. None of this was sinking in. She supposed she needed to punctuate this a bit better.

"Then again," she said, as though China had not spoken again, "he need not ever know about this," and before she even finished speaking, she quickly sprung forward, aiming to do at least a bit of damage- she had two knives, and China seemed to honestly think he could talk her down somehow, so with any luck she'd manage to do something nasty enough before he could kick her off.

"See, I am not always so good at talking? But this? This I am good at, and you are not listening anyway."