queenoflogs | once there was a path, and a girl with chestnut hair [OPEN]

Entry tags:

once there was a path, and a girl with chestnut hair [OPEN]

Characters:

welljustwatchme and whoever shows up.
Date: During the event.
Summary: Politics and uncertain futures make for depressing dreams.
Warnings: None so far.

For the other nations, the scene is commonplace. Their meetings are always loud, always so busy and vibrant. Hundreds, thousands of years of history have formed personalities that will never get along, but all intrinsically influenced by their neighbours, anyway. The dreamer is attentive, that much is obvious. From the view of the water outside the convention hall to various aspects of particular nations' clothing, the dreamer's subconscious is clearly detail-oriented, whether she wants it to be or not.

It may take a while to notice Canada, though. It usually does, even in her own dream. She's standing off to the side of a food table, with a plate of something in her hands, her polar bear sitting dutifully near her feet. Canada's attention is obviously wandering – she looks a little spacey, to be honest – but her eyes seem to focus on Spain and one of her former colonies. At least, until there's a familiar cry of "Ma petite!" and, despite herself, Canada smiles and prepares for the coming hug and kisses from France.

They don't come, though. France's petite is someone else, someone standing nearby. The someone else looks like Canada, although shorter and younger-looking, with dark curls instead of light blonde ones. She's missing the glasses and that distinctive hair curl, but one might assume this individual is related to Canada, and they would be right.

Quebec laughs and hugs France back. Mother and daughter, in a way. The daughter whose independence is new and supported, something Canada's never was.

Although it's a dream, although there's no paperwork for Quebec leaving her done yet, it still feels so close to a truth that it hits Canada like a physical blow. If you're watching her (you may be alone in that) her face goes blank, carefully emotionless as she tries to ice her heart over to keep it from hurting so much. As others join in, welcoming Quebec as a new country to the meeting, Canada puts her plate of food down beside her and turns to walk out of the convention hall. None of the other nations there make an effort to stop her.

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It's a strange experience, being in a dream that isn't yours. Especially when you're part of it. France watches herself rush to Quebec from across the room, more than slightly baffled. Then she sees Canada walking away from the group, obviously upset, and quickly follows her.

"Chèrie! Canada, ma chère, wait!"

Canada flinches, but she does stop, hands anxiously smoothing over her skirt as she half turns. Not realizing this scene has two Frances, she doesn't differentiate between the hugging she just saw and the calling of her name now. It must have been one in the same.

"Oui, France?" Not maman, not right now.

"Come here, petite," France says sternly, "What is happening?" This isn't her dream, quite obviously, where she started out after falling asleep. So... Is it Canada's? That would explain Quebec.

"Isn't it obvious?" She's not looking at France now, certainly not moving any closer. Her anger has flared for a moment, but aside from clenching at the hem of her skirt with one hand, the one hidden from France by her body, she didn't let on. "I'm sorry, I think I need to go for some air."

Maine's wandering about the convention hall, trying to understand what's going on. She's got a thick sweater on sporting a picture of a moose, her hands shoved in her pockets. She watches the scene with France, Quebec, and Canada with interest, a slight curious rumble in her throat, and makes no move as she stands nearly exactly in Canada's path of exit.

Canada mutters a quiet "excuse me" as she steps widely around the stranger. It's not until a few steps after that she realizes the key bit there: stranger. There's no one supposed to be at the meeting she doesn't know, so who's that?

She'll pause mid-step to think, half-glancing behind her.

[Maine turns fully towards her, gives a little shrug and jerks her head back towards the hall with a curious grunt, as if to ask what's going on in there?]

[For a moment, there's just silent staring, before Canada realizes this must be another dream happening. Even then, though, she glances to the ground before answering.]

Difficult politics.

[Maine snorts, politics. It's always politics, isn't it? And they're never easy, are they? She thumps her shoulder against Canada's and jerks her head towards the exit, lets go grab a beer. Leave the politics behind.]

[There's another hesitation before Canada nods, unsure if they'll actually be able to find their way out of the building, or if there'll just be a bar in there -- her dream constructions never seem to make the most sense -- but willing to try.]

It was a strange scene, but one she had been in many times before, mingling with other nations and dressed in her usual overalls and old blouse. But what had been distressing was the fact that no one seemed to take notice of Canada for the strange brunette that France was all over.

She gave up the cookie she had been eating, where had she managed to get a cookie? She didn't dwell on the logistics and moved after the upset Canadian.

"Maggie! Where are you going?"

The use of her human name surprises her -- so few of the other nations use it, usually -- and she stops, hands gripping the bottom hem of her skirt in an axious sort of gesture as she turns. That's not right. Ukraine isn't supposed to be here. Certainly not this Ukraine. So the Gardens are to blame, then, and Ukraine is seeing just what vulnerabilities Canada doesn't want anyone to see.

"Outside," she answers quietly, unsure of herself.

Ukraine catches up and places a gentle hand on the younger nations shoulder. Giving it a comforting squeeze he heads outside with Canada, keeping quiet and now and then giving a glance over her shoulder. She wasn't too sure what she saw but she knew Canada's look of dejection and misery at being forgotten again. It upset her in many ways, especially when Ukraine herself knew how sweet and loving of a nation Canada was.

"What is wrong?"

They leave the room everyone else is in, but getting out of the building itself proves another issue entirely. This is Canada's nightmare, after all; stuck indoors with no way out just adds to her tension, although Ukraine's presence makes the endless maze of halls easier to handle.

When her friend asks that, Canada stumbles a step, then stops as she rights herself, looking far off down the hall. "They support her," she says after a moment, voice nothing more than a sad whisper.

"Support who? I did not recognize that girl other than she had hair like yours. She reminded me of someone who looked more like Seychelles." she commented and gave the blond woman's shoulder another gentle squeeze.

"Maggie, I em sorry I heff not followed your politics as closely as I should for being a close friend of your male version. But I do not like to see you so sad, why does this upset you so?"

"C'est Québec. She's one of my provinces. Or she was..." Canada shakes her head, fingers clenching in her skirt again. "I don't know anymore."

"It is just a bad dream Maggie, is okie. This is not actually happening." she take a moment and gives Canada a warm and squishy hug while trying to comfort her.

To her dream self, the hug is awkward, almost painful. Canada just wants to be cold until she can wake up and distract herself with other things. Ukraine threatens to make her feel too much.

"Do you even really know that? None of the others do."

"Well, no, but it's not that possible is it?" she asked, looking at Canada with soft dewy eyes. She was really trying to make Canada feel better but she felt more like she'd walked on her toes instead. She pulled away from Canada slowly, holding her arms against her chest almost like a shield.

"I em sorry if I upset you, it wasn't my intention" she said softly.

Canada shook her head, immediately feeling miserable. "No, I'm sorry. It's not your fault," she said, answering the easy part first. "But I really think-" Staring at the floor, something caught in her throat, feeling suspiciously like a sob. But she couldn't cry here. Not over this. "Chances are good, these days."

"Would she really leave you? I mean... my provinces do not always get along and they threaten to join my bro-sister. But, they never do. It will be okie, Canada." she said quietly, resisting the urge to hug the younger nation again. She knew she was upset and Ukraine really didn't know how to comfort her. She was used to dealing with boys when they were upset and girls seemed to be a whole other world that was much more complex.

"She wants to. And France and Russia are both encouraging her. And so many of her people want it, Katyushka..." Another pause to try to collect herself, to keep the tears at bay. "It's so very possible."

"Yes, but you are the one that would be the person to have to say she will officially let go." She claps her hands together, not sure how to help. "It may be possible but would be very stupid as far as how your country works. I do not think she will if she is smart enough to understand how brutally hard being independent is."

Canada shakes her head, hearing the logic in Ukraine's words but being too capable of refuting them. "She's got the population and the industry and the land to do it, without a problem. If her people want to go, I can't make them stay. I can't... be colonial like that. I have to give her the option."

"Yes, she has the means but it does not mean that she has the military to keep her safe or the knowledge of how to keep running as an independent. Your sister would take that as a threat and then it would be a real mess. I do not think it would happen Maggie. They have it good as part of Canada, I do not see why they would throw that away for so much hardship."

"She could raise a militia the same size mine was a century ago, not a problem. And America... she wouldn't even notice."

"Still, is not much compared to what some heff now. And your sister would notice, especially if there was a chance she could get more land. Em sorry, really, but I do not think it is really pheasible." she toys with the clips in her hair before dropping her hands and looking over her shoulder at the way they had come.

Canada just shakes her head, letting out a sigh. "Je suis désolée, I can't see that that would stop her if she decided for sure to go. She has so much that I never did. And she knows I would never turn my back on her."

Ukraine gave Canada a long and very sad look. She knew all about having to forge her own way with no support and just hoping and praying you were doing the right thing.

"You are strong Maggie, even if she does leave you will keep going."

"But I was her. That land was mine to take care of, I remember when it was." Back in the days when she was small and France doted on her every move, every opportunity to put her in frills and ribbons in her curls. It would hurt too much to lose that part of her history, not just national, but personal.

"I don't want her to leave me."

Kat was really out of ideas. She gave a sigh and put her hands on Canada's forearms and held on to her.

"I know, but I do not think she will, heff faith. If for no one then for yourself, okie?"

Canada bit her bottom lip hard, to keep it from wibbling as she focused on Ukraine. She would not cry here and now, as much as she wanted to. No, she wouldn't.

Slowly, the blonde nodded. "Okay."

"Okie." She took a moment and pulled Canada into a hug. Seeing her own friend in such misery made her want to burst into tears. She tried hard not to seeing that Canada might at any moment and patted her back.

She still felt uncertain about the hug, almost not wanting that comfort. Comfort was for when you had lost something, after all. Wasn't it?

But Canada hugged Ukraine loosely back anyway before pulling away, trying to get a grip on herself. "Thank you."

"Welcome." she let Canada go and stood across from her, watching the much younger nation carefully. She wondered if this nightmare would ever end or if it was something they were plagued to be stuck in without ever noticing.

Gaze drifting downward, Canada squeezed her eyes tightly shut a moment, then looked back up at Ukraine.

"Let's walk this way," she said with a gesture behind her. Waking up had occurred to her, too. But how exactly to accomplish that, she wasn't sure.

Ukraine nodded and followed Canada, at a complete loss as to what to tell the distraught younger woman. Instead she just kept quiet, walking beside her and wringing her hands as she thought.

Canada wandered with intent for a while, before bringing her hands in front of her and wringing them. "I don't know how to get out," she admitted, suddenly sounding very close to tears ago. "Or wake up. You'd best try. I don't want you stuck with me."

Ukraine looked around trying to think of an idea and she took a moment before spotting a bench. "Falling, you know when you fall in a dream and jolt awake, mebbe will give same effect?" Kat looked at her companion and motioned for her to stand on the bench.

"Get up"

There was the tiniest bit of hesitation before Canada nodded and stepped up onto the bench, looking worriedly down at Ukraine.

"Now just... fall?"

"Yes, just fall, is same reaction that makes you wake up when you dream you are falling." she gave Canada a smile then a sudden push off of the bench.

Canada let out a slight squeak of surprise before waking up in her bed, startled and shaking. At least, if nothing else, that confirmed that that horrid scene had only been a dream. Now if only she could be sure it stayed that way.

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once there was a path, and a girl with chestnut hair [OPEN]

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