Torn in Two [Flashback] [Prussia]
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Post by Vietnam - Nguyen Thi on Dec 12, 2015 3:07:32 GMT -5
Everything has been going very well for Vietnam. Well, yes, pretty much the whole world is angry at her for reasons she doesn't quite understand - why is it not okay for her to reclaim lands rightfully belonging to her but it was okay for France to try to claim her lands as his own? - but that doesn't really matter very much. She has Russia on her side, and that's really all she needs.
She definitely needs someone - two hundred years of war and occupation has left her country in tatters. Entire landscapes destroyed, generations of men missing from the population - she has her pride and would refuse it if she could, but she needs the humanitarian aid Russia is providing to her. With it she can rebuild her nation, though she's had to restart pretty much from the foundations.
But she is quite hopeful and already her heath is improving. She's a very private person when it comes to her health - it simply isn't any other nation's business and there are some that she's sure would come and try to take advantage of her if she showed any sort of weakness. But the time when she'll have to stop pretending seem to be on the horizon. In fact, she hopes to not restore her country's former glory but to improve upon it - to usher in a modern era that embraces the future. And she expects it to be hard, but it's an opportunity.
She's not that unlike her brother China, after all. Of course, she's quick to insist that there are many significant differences between the two of them - she is most definitely not China. But she'll admit that there are many similarities - he raised her, after all, and taught her many things. She's learned many other things since then, but one of them is that her brother was usually right about the most important things. Not always, but usually. And one of the things that he was right about is that it's important to work hard and to accept what opportunities life brings you - to not decide that you are too good to do something if there's money in it.
As a result of that philosophy, she has been quite industrious. Any statistic attempting to measure how rich and powerful she is may not result in very many impressive numbers, but that's not the case when it comes to those measuring improvement and growth. After so many years of barely holding on, nearly dying as a nation, she's incredibly driven.
Her home is a mansion of somewhat modest proportions when compared to the huge estates of some other nations. It could probably fit within Russia's ballroom. Then again, Russia has a very large ballroom - it's certainly gigantic when compared to the homes of most of her people. It's a very old home, built in the traditional Vietnamese style, though exactly how much of it is still old is a good question - it's certainly worse for the wear. But it's being remodeled - those parts of it that have survived are being restored, what can't be restored is being replaced, and in the meantime it's being modernized. And her own home is important enough to her that she spends what time she can spare looking over the current construction to make sure it's being done perfectly correctly.
Which is why it isn't her that responds when a guest comes to the door. Instead it's Ho Chi Minh - more often referred to as Saigon by almost everyone except for Vietnam herself - who was once known as South Vietnam and French Indochina before that. No longer considered to be a nation, she's now a humble municipality - yet she's also Vietnam's top adviser. And also quite similar in appearance to Vietnam, though significantly younger and quite different in personality. She was once and perhaps still is France's little sister, but the family resemblance is small - Vietnam's hold on this land is too strong.
But though she's never really met Prussia in person, when she opens the door and sees him there, there's a bit of an awkward pause. When you don't really know someone but people both of you know were recently in a big fight, and you were on the side of one and you know that the other person was kind of on the side of the other, and your side lost - a fact that has drastically changed your life and you've not yet come to terms with it - and you now find yourself on the same side as that person against what you would have wished... there's a little awkwardness. But she's Asian, so of course her fallback for awkward situations is politeness.
"Bạn Prussia," she greets him formally, giving a small bow, "If you will please follow me, I can take you to Vietnam - she is expecting you." She turns to lead the way. Thanks to the remodeling, the house is quite empty aside from the essentials. Extra things only make things difficult during a remodel, though on the other hand this is a busy household with many living in it - the rooms aren't empty.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 7, 2016 6:27:00 GMT -5
Damn that Ivan to the moon and back! He was Prussia, damn it, no matter what new name they gave him, and Prussia didn’t let anyone walk all over him! He may no longer be the mighty Kingdom of Prussia on paper, but he was no pushover. He wouldn’t be a pushover even if the day came where the only thing left of him was his mind and body, with no land to his name and no people to call his.
So he had argued. He had complained, yelled and slammed every single door in the main hallway of Ivan’s massive home, but to no avail. He was to go to Vietnam and help Nguyen Thi rebuild her home or face the consequences. Why did he have to help her rebuild her country? He hadn’t been the one to destroy it! Besides, there were other people Ivan could send to Vietnam! Eduard never seemed to be doing anything useful, why didn’t Ivan send him?
It took a long moment for Gilbert to calm down, but when he finally did, he could see the positive side of the situation. He hadn’t left Ivan’s miserable home since his brother lost the war and he, Gilbert, was forced to become the German Democratic Republic. Going to Vietnam would be a welcome break from Ivan and his cowardly subordinates. And if it was the work he had been upset about, he did that here anyway, with hardly any pay and sometimes forced into a humiliating maid outfit. So why was he fighting this? Getting away from Ivan was a good thing!
Gilbert couldn’t seem too excited about finally getting to leave the house, though. He didn’t put it past Ivan to change his mind and send someone else just to spite him, so he continued his rebellious act, ranting and moaning the whole way to Vietnam’s doorstep.
The door opened to reveal a petite Asian woman, who judging by her greeting had been expecting him. “Wait, you’re not Vietnam?” Gilbert inquired, pale eyebrows rising in mild confusion. How many people lived in this house? If Vietnam had subordinates, why did she need his help? Gilbert pushed the thought away, deciding that he didn't really care. He was here to do work, so that was exactly what he was going to do. Shaking his head, he followed the woman into the house, grumbling about all Asians looking alike loud enough for her to hear.
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Post by Vietnam - Nguyen Thi on Jun 9, 2016 18:32:55 GMT -5
Hearing the question that was asked, young woman hasn't gone two steps before she abruptly stops in her tracks. As she turns back around, there's enough tension in the air that the brash Prussian might be justified in fearing that he's about to be slapped, but instead there is a smile on her face. "Vâng, and you are not Germany," she says.
Her smile abruptly vanishes and she straightens, a proud expression coming to her face as she adds, "You are also not the German Democratic Republic, you are Prussia. And I am not either Ho Chi Minh or the Republic of Vietnam, or anything else that other nations may try to call me. I am French Indochina." There's a surprisingly large amount of similarity in their respective situations - both of them were once nations (well, she never became fully independent from France but at her peak she had been much, much larger than Vietnam), but they are now serving in someone else's household after basically being captured in a war.
But her expression then grows intensely concerned as she hastily adds, "But please do not call me that in front of Vietnam - it upsets her!" But she pauses, and a mischievous grin comes to her face as she adds, "Call me Saigon - this also upsets her, but less." There's a very fine line between angering someone like Vietnam and merely irritating her - the latter usually only results in some passive-aggressiveness, while the latter can result in actual, physical aggression. Or at least she tries to avoid it - by reputation, she's guessing that Prussia might not. She begins to turn again, as if to continue on, but she hesitates, waiting to see if the man has anything more to say to her before she leads him to where he can find Vietnam.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 17, 2016 8:30:40 GMT -5
Nobody had ever mistaken him for Ludwig, and Gilbert doubted anyone ever would. They were too different in personality, not to mention in appearance. The same could not be said about Asians. "If you thought I was Ludwig, I'd say you need to get your tiny eyes checked," he cackled, "We look nothing alike!" Like most Germans, Ludwig was a good looking guy, but Gilbert was an Adonis and his albinism made him all the more unique. He could be a model, if he wanted to, or a movie star.
The petite Asian woman was right in that he wasn't the German Democratic Republic. That name had been forced on him by arrogant nations that thought they had the right to dissolve him. Gilbert would never call himself by that name willingly. He was Prussia and would always be, no matter what other names meddlesome nations might try to give him in the future.
"Damn right!" he exclaimed proudly, his opinion of 'French Indochina' greatly improving. Just as she had called him by his proper name, he would call her by the name she preferred. Bothering Vietnam was an added bonus.
Gilbert snickered, shaking his head. "I never pass up an opportunity to drive people up the wall," he grinned mischievously. "French Indochina it is!"
Perhaps his visit in Vietnam wouldn't be as dull and uneventful as he had initially thought. "Lead the way!" |
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Post by Vietnam - Nguyen Thi on Jun 22, 2016 4:17:57 GMT -5
When Prussia insists that he looks nothing like his brother, what he gets in return is a skeptical look. "I don't know - you're both so pale... He's bigger though," she comments, purposely overemphasizing the similarity between the two brothers but seeming to conclude that the main distinguishing feature is the size difference. But though she recognizes that she has a certain similarity to Vietnam, she wouldn't consider herself to be that hard to tell apart. She suspects that he's simply never bothered to learn the difference between the various Asian countries before.
Still, because of her origins she's not inclined to be too hard on him for that. Though she becomes a shade paler when Prussia becomes so enthusiastic about calling her by what she considers to be her true name. "But remember, please, not in front of Vietnam..." she says quietly - she really does look very nervous about that. And she has every reason to be, really. But she can't exactly control Prussia - perhaps she should have been more careful when speaking to him.
But again, what can she do about it now? Nothing but lead the way through the house. The further inside of it you go, the less finished it appears. While the front entrance has been fixed up into a finished-looking state, the vast majority of it is in some middle stage of remodeling. Sections of floor are missing in one room, a wall in another - the work being done appears to be of high quality and it will no doubt look very grand when it's finished, but it doesn't yet. In fact, in a few places the old structure remains untouched and it's possible to see what's being replaced - charred walls. But the young woman leading Prussia through the house doesn't linger along the way to allow him to take in the sights - instead she walks with purpose to the other end of the house where Vietnam is.
And Vietnam is currently supervising a group of men who are installing windows. It's hard to tell the purpose of the room because there is no furniture to provide any clues, but it's a larger room and the windows being placed are large as well - they'll provide a very nice view to the southwest. When they arrive, the young woman sent to fetch Prussia demurely places herself just within Vietnam's field of vision and simply waits until her presence is acknowledged. Which Vietnam does after she's finished giving some sort of order to the men in rapid, bossy-sounding Vietnamese. "Vâng, Ho Chi Minh?" she asks, though the answer she gets to her question is simply a gesture that brings to her attention the fact that Prussia has arrived. "Ah! Russia said that you were coming," she says, turning to the man with a large smile coming to her face.
Now that both of them are in the same room, it's easier to see the subtle differences between the two women. French Indochina is a shade paler both in skin and hair. Vietnam is quite noticeably thinner, with more angular features, and is also a bit older. But the biggest difference is in their mannerisms - French Indochina possesses a mild temperament - not exactly weak but not prone to extremes. Vietnam, on the other hand, carries herself with a certain inherent amount of pride and confidence - which is, at the moment, the only hint of the outright ferocity that she possesses when she wants to use it. It can be difficult to see the woman who made Alfred give up and go home within her when she isn't angry.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 3, 2016 21:06:03 GMT -5
Gilbert didn't come here to talk about Ludwig. The separation still pained him, and he missed his brother more and more for each passing day. It was an open wound that wouldn't heal until he had been reunited with Ludwig, and as the woman went on to point out their similarities and dissimilarities in appearance – though completely missing the part where Gilbert was albino and therefore paler than most – he couldn't help but wonder if she was doing it just to hurt him. After all, he had mistaken her for Vietnam, which might have been a bit insulting. Gilbert didn't know and didn't particularly care, as long as they left Ludwig out of their conversation. He wasn't here, as much as Gilbert wished him to be, so there was no reason to talk about him.
"Let's just get this over with," he huffed as he followed her down the hallway, his expression screaming disinterest. "Do you want me to call you by your real name or not?" he sighed, pale eyebrows rising at the hint of nervousness he could sense in her when he promised to use her preferred name. "I'll either call you that in front of everyone or not call you anything at all."
Gilbert could do whatever he damn pleased, because Ivan wasn't here.
Of course, if Ivan got word that he had misbehaved, punishment would await him in Russia. But right here, right now, he could call Ivan a fat, big-nosed, granny fucker if he wanted to, and call this woman French Indochina to Vietnam's face. Vietnam wasn't the boss of him, and he was here to help rebuild her home. She should be thanking him for even being here. If she was unhappy about what he chose to call her subordinates, then she could just choke on chopsticks.
French Indochina's pace was quick, but he tried to calculate how long it would take to fix up the house from what he could see of the damage. 'Looks like I'll be here a while' he thought to himself, and had it not meant more time spent away from Ivan, Gilbert would have sighed.
French Indochina led him into a room empty of furniture, a woman similar in appearance to her drawing Gilbert's attention. So this was Vietnam? She didn't seem very threatening. "Yes, I'm here to help with reconstructions," he responded, a smirk inching onto his face when he turned to French Indochina and said, "Thanks for escorting me here, French Indochina." He was turned towards French Indochina as he spoke, but his crimson eyes were fixed on Vietnam, watching her reaction to his words.
He was going to have so much fun here! |
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Post by Vietnam - Nguyen Thi on Jul 3, 2016 22:27:25 GMT -5
The look that French Indochina casts in Prussia's direction as he declares his intention to call her what he wants can only be described as resentful. But she doesn't say anything further, figuring it would be pointless. He strikes her as the type who needs to learn from his own mistakes - now she just wishes that she didn't have to be involved in this one.
And it seems like only moments later when the man makes good on what he said. When he says her real name in front of Vietnam, she's carefully avoiding Vietnam's gaze. Vietnam herself seems almost slow to react - her smile fades into a rather neutral, yet calm expression. Looking the arrogant Prussian directly in the eyes, she says, "Ho Chi Minh, come here." The young woman flinches, but comes over, still avoiding Vietnam's gaze. Now, Vietnam could speak to her subordinate in Vietnamese - in fact, the language would be easier for both of them - but seeing as she wants Prussia to listen to this conversation, she instead opts to use a language he'll understand.
"Have I been unkind to you, Ho Chi Minh?"
"No, Vietnam."
"Then why where you telling lies to our guest, Ho Chi Minh?"
The young woman seems to struggle to come up with an answer to that question, knowing what will happen if she either tries to lie her way out of it or tells any truths that Vietnam doesn't want to hear - that leaves such a narrow margin of things that she can say that it takes her a moment to even think of one. But finally she says, "I told him not to call me that in front of you."
"But he did it anyway, didn't he, Ho Chi Minh?"
"Yes."
"Why, Ho Chi Minh?"
There's another long pause, and the young woman takes a deep breath before she says, "Because Europeans always do whatever they want and have no consideration for anyone else." The answer sounds rehearsed, as if she's said it many times.
"Vâng, it is as I have often said, is it not, Ho Chi Minh?"
"Yes."
"So why did you expect him to be different, Ho Chi Minh?"
"It was a foolish mistake, Vietnam."
"Vâng, and I cannot have fools advise me, can I, Ho chi Minh?"
There's a long pause before the reply comes. "No."
Suddenly, there's a large crack, and French Indochina falls to the floor, having been slapped hard across the face by Vietnam's open hand. But though the young woman can be seen moving, she doesn't attempt to get up. "You must learn to remember your place, Ho Chi Minh. Remember that your brother abandoned you. Remember how I took you in when I could have destroyed you instead. Then you will have a better place in my house than the one I had in yours," she says, before abruptly turning to look at Prussia again. "Am I not generous, Ho Chi Minh?" Vietnam asks, her voice still strangely calm in spite of her actions and words, though he'd be able to see a hint of fire in her eyes - the anger and rage that so easily boils within her even if it doesn't break the surface is plainly visible in the way she looks at him. They're very judgmental eyes - in fact, he's already been found guilty and the only thing left to do is to decide exactly how harsh his sentence should be.
"Thank you, Vietnam," the young woman quietly replies, before very slowly getting back to her feet, still not willing to look Vietnam in the eye.
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do not forget me
About thirty years ago, Israel's boss was assasinated. By who, well, no one knows, but Israel immediately blamed Iran. Of course, that alone wouldn't have started World War III, even though Israel and Iran's various allies declared war in quick succession.
Nah, the nuclear bomb in the middle of Jerusalem probably did it.
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