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Oct 15, 2012 0:24:02 GMT -5 |
Post by Alfred "America" F. Jones on Oct 15, 2012 0:24:02 GMT -5
[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 500px; border-top: 2px solid #00262A; border-left: 2px solid #00262A; border-right: 10px solid #00262A; border-bottom: 10px solid #00262A;] welcome back home A smile came across Alfred's face as Arthur confirmed that yes, the city itself grew larger as more people lived there. He was happy to hear that his guess had been correct. Both guesses, in fact. Alfred ignored any hesitancy in Arthur's second response, and thus it seemed like a pretty straightforward yes as well.
"Eighty two years." Alfred murmured. Nowhere near as long as England, and Alfred knew he was a bit older than that, since he could remember things before he met Arthur. Still, it was a long time compared to most of the people he knew. Apparently, he looked to be six years old. That in itself said something to the colony. "First thing I remember, I stayed with a real nice family in a place called Roanoke. Do you know how long ago that was?" His times there consisted of his first clear memories, after all. Why not tell Arthur, while they were on the subject?
Alfred leaned into the embrace, feeling safe and loved. However, he also felt the slightest bit restless, even as Arthur loosened his hold. He missed Arthur, and he wanted Arthur to dote on him, but why did he have to restrict his movements so much? It was inherently hard for Alfred to be still, and thus a challenge to stop himself from continuing to squirm on his big brother's lap.
Even Alfred noted Arthur's tense movements as he responded to Alfred's statement. It puzzled him. Didn't England want him to grow bigger? Then why had his grip tightened? Why did he sound almost sad when he agreed with Alfred?
As Arthur's demeanor calmed, Alfred smiled, quickly forgetting about his confusion. Arthur was happy again, so why should he worry? Maybe he wasn't even unhappy in the first place. Maybe Alfred was just imagining things. The colony grinned when Arthur assured him that they had the evening to themselves. "You promise?" Alfred asked him. He knew Arthur was busy, and didn't want him to suddenly remember some business he'd left unattended and leave Alfred behind.
Alfred's grin only increased in size when Arthur mentioned they had a little time before dinner. He knew what that meant. It meant that Arthur was waiting to hear what Alfred wanted to do! Maybe he could even help Arthur with dinner when it came time. Arthur might actually let him do that...the housekeeper just usually shooed him out of the kitchen. Alfred liked the housekeeper, but man she could be picky sometimes! Of course, that all depended on if Arthur was cooking. Maybe he'd just leave it up to the housekeeper, since he did have a long journey.
There were so many options for things that Alfred and Arthur could do together. "Hmm...we could play quoits! Mary and the others are usually too busy to play with me, and I think I scared the other kids the last time I played with them." Again, it was a matter of his strength. He had reasonable control over it, to the point where it came almost natural during day to day activities, but during play Alfred would often get caught up in his excitement and forget to hold back on his strength sufficiently. For this reason, maybe Arthur wouldn't want to play either, but at least he knew about Alfred's strength, and didn't act extra funny around him if he made a slip up the way the others did.
"I could also open up my presents, ooooor we could play with my toy soldiers, ooooor I could read to you from my primer!" Another thought popped into his head as well. "Could you teach me how to use a gun too? I see some of the other boys with them, and I know I'm different than them, but I'd like to learn too!" There was so much they could do and so little time! Alfred wanted to do it all, but obviously they couldn't do it all at once.
[style=width: 120px; height: 120px; text-align: center; background: #EDEDED; color: 000000; font-size: 12; float: left;] 682 words for Arthur.
November 1689.
Did some research on this one...quoits is a real colonial game, and it sounds like it's a lot like horseshoes, only with wood or rope rather than metal. Same source also mentioned that boys in the colonies were taught how to use guns early, and little Alfred has a gun in canon, so I thought I'd throw that in as well. =P [/style] |
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Nov 4, 2012 21:42:30 GMT -5 |
Post by Arthur "England" Kirkland on Nov 4, 2012 21:42:30 GMT -5
[atrb=cellspacing,4,true][atrb=cellpadding,5px,true][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,400,true][atrb=style, background-image: url(http://i.imgur.com/Vrs56.png); border-radius: 0px 0px 0px 30px; -moz-border-radius: 0px 0px 0px 30px; border: 5px solid #222222;][STYLE=border: 3px solid #363636; background-image: url(http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n222/amoline/pirate2.png); width: 100px; height: 100px; border-radius: 0px 0px 0px 30px; -moz-border-radius: 0px 0px 0px 30px; margin-top: -25px; margin-right: -20px; float: right;] [/style] [STYLE=border: 3px solid #363636; background-image: url(http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n222/amoline/pirate2.png); width: 100px; height: 100px; border-radius: 0px 0px 0px 30px; -moz-border-radius: 0px 0px 0px 30px; margin-top: -25px; margin-right: 5px; float: right;] [/style] [STYLE=font-family: georgia;; font-size: 26px; text-shadow: 2px 2px 0px #000000; letter-spacing: 1px; text-align: center; color: #a8a8a8;]— if the stars were mine,[/style][STYLE=font-family: tahoma; font-variant: small-caps; font-size: 10px; text-shadow: 2px 2px 0px #000000; color: #a8a8a8; text-align: center; border-left: 2px solid #cccccc; border-right: 2px solid #cccccc; border-radius: 30px; -moz-border-radius: 30px; width: 170px;]i’d give them all to you i’d pluck them down right from the sky and leave it only blue[/style] [STYLE=margin-top: 5px; background-image: url(http://i.imgur.com/8GyR8.png); opacity: 0.6; color: #222222; padding: 8px; text-align: justify; font-size: 11px; border-radius: 0px 0px 0px 30px; -moz-border-radius: 0px 0px 0px 30px; font-family: calibri; border-left: 3px solid #363636;]TAG: Alfred SETTING: Norfolk County, Massachusetts Bay Colony TIME: November 1689 NOTES: Pfff, yes, yes, it'll happen eventually. XP
. . . Arthur’s attention was perked as it always was whenever Alfred made mention of the Roanoke Colony. That had once been a source of frustration for the older nation as well as a morbid sort of fascination. He always did have that for the unexplainable and the now nearly century old disappearance was no different. He remembered well the moment that his most favoured Queen at the time had finally granted a charter for colonisation concerning the bit of land called Virginia. Arthur’s original intent at the time was to provide a base from which to send his privateers out on raids against Spain’s sickeningly weak treasure fleets. To be honest, Arthur was far more concerned with his war against Spain then he was with Roanoke at the time.
Upon discovering what had happened decades later, his suspicions had at first turned towards the Spanish bastard, who had just destroyed the French colony of Fort Charles before massacring Francis’s Ford Caroline along the eastern coast. However, there were inconsistencies with the time-frame and in the end, England had decided not to further pursue the matter.
Arthur paused when he heard Alfred speak again. ”You remember them, Alfred?” He never really wanted to press the issue with his colony, but seeing as he brought it up; Arthur didn’t see the harm in making a light inquiry about it. He was a bit curious about Alfred’s time before they had met in any case. ”That was established a little over a century ago… How long did you stay with them?”
The older nation tried to ignore the faint pangs of melancholy when little Alfred squirmed from his embrace. Arthur hadn’t wondered too often over why he felt the need to restrict him. He wasn’t sure that he really wanted to know. He wasn’t necessarily like this with the others that he owned—at least, not in the same way. There was something in the way that Alfred loved him back that made Arthur want to hold onto him all the more tighter. No one had ever loved him unconditionally before. And he didn’t want to lose it.. not when he was damn well sure that he would never find it again. In the centuries-long miserable length of his existence, no one had ever shown him open, genuine affection. But still, he didn’t want to –
Arthur released his hold, looking briefly away.
The corners of his mouth quirked into a small smile upon hearing Alfred’s next question. ”I promise.” Arthur was excruciatingly aware that he did have a habit of suddenly leaving in the middle of whatever they were doing in order to attend to some business matter or other. To his credit, some of them were urgent issues that were as much of a surprise to Arthur as they may have been to Alfred. These incidences weren’t all that uncommon, given that he was close to controlling a portion of the world at this point. It was thrilling to know that he was finally growing into his own—that he was now a power that the likes of Spain and France were forced to contend with. Just before the reign of his most favoured Queen, he had barely been able to properly meet their challenges. He broke from the small train of thought before it gave way to something a bit more cruel involving those two.
Come to think of it, making dinner did sound like a bit of fun. Oh yes, tonight he was determined to outdo himself this time… which is usually quite a feat for the older nation… considering his culinary abilities. Nonetheless, Arthur always did enjoy making meals for his colony and yes, especially enjoyed allowing Alfred in the kitchen with him. Usually whenever Arthur was visiting, he was the one that allowed the housekeeper to rest for a bit from some of her usual duties. When he was there, he liked taking care of Alfred. There was simply no other option!
An amused chuckle escaped Arthur when Alfred mentioned that he might have scared the other children from playing quoits with him. Mm… yes. Perhaps you should keep that in mind.. and remember to play milder games with the others, love.” He loved seeing that Alfred was overtly sociable with other children, but sadly, the risks of making even simple mistakes in his case would be far more detrimental than the average nation would have to consider when interacting with fragile individuals.
Arthur’s grin widened when he saw Alfred’s enthusiasm over what they could do now that they had the time to actually do them. ”Slow down, lad,” he said, running his fingers through Alfred’s hair in a playful manner. ”We’ll have time for all of that. I’ll be here for a long while.” At least, Arthur hoped so... It also wasn’t unusual for him to be called away in the middle of his stay. For once, Arthur wished the most horrible tempest at sea if it would keep disappointing letters from reaching him, forcing the nation to return to the usual duties demanded of him. It was a tall order, but not unrealistic. Arthur did manage to travel during rather harsh conditions this winter.
He paused thoughtfully when Alfred mentioned learning how to use a gun. That also wasn’t entirely unrealistic, but Arthur still felt a bit hesitant about teaching him. He couldn’t help but notice that a small part of him continued to mourn that his little Alfred was growing up so quickly. But at the same time, he refused to leave him unversed about a variety of things. So, he cleared his throat a little before giving the affirmative. ”Yes, of course…” He paused before remembering something else that he had nearly forgotten. ”Alfred, before we do anything, I would first like to see how your stitches are coming along. Unfortunately, Miss Mary failed to write to me concerning your progress.” Oh, yes, because that was important... He smiled, though tried to keep the obvious amusement from his expression, remembering how dreadfully sloppy they looked the last time.
. . .
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Nov 7, 2012 1:24:14 GMT -5 |
Post by Alfred "America" F. Jones on Nov 7, 2012 1:24:14 GMT -5
[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 500px; border-top: 2px solid #00262A; border-left: 2px solid #00262A; border-right: 10px solid #00262A; border-bottom: 10px solid #00262A;] welcome back home "Of course I remember them! The grown-ups asked me to call them mother and father, but it never really felt right. I liked them, though. They were nice to me. They treated me like I really belonged there. There were other kids too! There were Emeline and Isaac were older than me...or they looked it at least. Zachariah looked the same age as me! Then Tabitha was born after I was already there." Alfred smiled in reminiscence.
"A century...you said a while ago that that was a hundred years, right? That means I'm at least one hundred years old!" Alfred stated this with a note of pride. It made him feel older, being able to use the word 'hundred' in his age.
He didn't understand why Arthur was asking so many questions about the Roanoke Colony. He failed to understand that the family he left behind, as well as the rest of the colonists who settled in the area, vanished without a trace. The only hint that he had to what happened was a peculiar feeling of emptiness that struck not long after he left the Jones family. It was a feeling that never entirely went away until he met Arthur once more in 1607. It would likely be many years before Alfred could fully comprehend what that feeling of emptiness signified - The loss of the Roanoke Colony.
"A couple of years. Then I heard Jeb and Anne talking about how I didn't age like the rest of the kids did, and how strange it was. So I ran away. I didn't want to scare them anymore." Alfred fidgeted more, this time not from Arthur's grip on him but rather his own discomfort. It occurred to him that he'd never discussed the earliest parts of his past with anyone prior to this. He wondered how Arthur would react. "Do you know what happened to them?" Little did he know that Arthur likely had fewer answers than Alfred himself did.
Alfred beamed in delight when Arthur pledged his promise. "Good." He just hoped that England would keep his promise. The older nation had a habit of not always doing what he said he would.
"I know." Alfred stated somewhat dejectedly. "I try my best to hold back, England, I really do, but sometimes I get excited and I can't!" At least Arthur hadn't told him that he couldn't play with the other kids in the colonies at all?
Alfred clapped his hands together as the older nation assured him that they would have time to accomplish everything on Alfred's list. He still feared that Arthur would be called away, but the words had a soothing effect on Alfred nonetheless.
Unfortunately, Arthur didn't want to play right away. Instead, he wanted Alfred to show off his stitches. The smile on Alfred's face faded slightly. He'd always struggled with those. Why couldn't Arthur ask him to read from his primer instead? He could do that without much problem! Whenever he tried to do his stitches, on the other hand, he would keep poking himself with the needle accidentally. It started to hurt after a while! Alfred didn't get how Arthur could do it so easily. "I'll go get them." He darted off at once.
The colony reentered the room a few moments later, carrying said 'stitches' in his hands. One could tell almost immediately that the stitches were sloppy, and even more shortcomings presented themselves as one obtained a closer look at the project. Alfred took a seat next to Arthur once more, waiting to hear Arthur's feedback.
[style=width: 120px; height: 120px; text-align: center; background: #EDEDED; color: 000000; font-size: 12; float: left;] 615 words for Arthur.
November 1689.
No notes this time. XD [/style] |
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Nov 18, 2012 20:37:18 GMT -5 |
Post by Arthur "England" Kirkland on Nov 18, 2012 20:37:18 GMT -5
[atrb=cellspacing,4,true][atrb=cellpadding,5px,true][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,400,true][atrb=style, background-image: url(http://i.imgur.com/Vrs56.png); border-radius: 0px 0px 0px 30px; -moz-border-radius: 0px 0px 0px 30px; border: 5px solid #222222;][STYLE=border: 3px solid #363636; background-image: url(http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n222/amoline/pirate2.png); width: 100px; height: 100px; border-radius: 0px 0px 0px 30px; -moz-border-radius: 0px 0px 0px 30px; margin-top: -25px; margin-right: -20px; float: right;] [/style] [STYLE=border: 3px solid #363636; background-image: url(http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n222/amoline/pirate2.png); width: 100px; height: 100px; border-radius: 0px 0px 0px 30px; -moz-border-radius: 0px 0px 0px 30px; margin-top: -25px; margin-right: 5px; float: right;] [/style] [STYLE=font-family: georgia;; font-size: 26px; text-shadow: 2px 2px 0px #000000; letter-spacing: 1px; text-align: center; color: #a8a8a8;]— if the stars were mine,[/style][STYLE=font-family: tahoma; font-variant: small-caps; font-size: 10px; text-shadow: 2px 2px 0px #000000; color: #a8a8a8; text-align: center; border-left: 2px solid #cccccc; border-right: 2px solid #cccccc; border-radius: 30px; -moz-border-radius: 30px; width: 170px;]i’d give them all to you i’d pluck them down right from the sky and leave it only blue[/style] [STYLE=margin-top: 5px; background-image: url(http://i.imgur.com/8GyR8.png); opacity: 0.6; color: #222222; padding: 8px; text-align: justify; font-size: 11px; border-radius: 0px 0px 0px 30px; -moz-border-radius: 0px 0px 0px 30px; font-family: calibri; border-left: 3px solid #363636;]TAG: Alfred SETTING: Norfolk County, Massachusetts Bay Colony TIME: November 1689 NOTES: I don't know why my posts are always so long... I hope they're not too wordy. xD
. . . Arthur listened to Alfred describe his experience with a few of the individuals—all long gone. Seeing Alfred smile about it was at least a small relief. Whatever had happened, he probably didn’t know, at least that was Arthur’s guess. He contemplated just letting the entire thing drop. It would be useless to worry him over a tragedy that he apparently was unaware of. He was still so young at the time—so the older nation couldn’t fault him for that.
He had his own memories of loss and the emptiness that had formed over it. Arthur vaguely wondered if Alfred had felt something similarly. If he had felt their loss, then he knew what that signified. The Roanoke people truly came to be his. Perhaps England’s first claim hadn’t been a complete waste, then. It was an interesting thought.
”That’s right,” he confirmed, smiling a little at the small bit of pride shining through Alfred’s statement. Only a hundred years old… and already Alfred’s rate of growth was a little disconcerting. Everyone he had known growing up had grown up at such a slow rate. Even a hundred years was the equivalent to the passing of a month if he were to compare his own measure of growth. But yes, there was also a part of him that was very proud of his strong, young colony. Coincidentally, however; the rate of growth made his heart beat a strange staccato. For the moment, as always, he stifled his apprehension.
Arthur quietly listened to Alfred speak a little bit more about the family that he had stayed with prior. He remembered vaguely hearing about them from Alfred before, but this was new. When he began to fidget a bit, he hugged his colony from behind. His own heart ached a little for the boy—then again, when did it not whenever his colony was experiencing the less pleasing realities of the world. It was difficult to watch younger nations catching glimpses of it with little understanding. ”I’m sorry that happened, love.” He sighed quietly before releasing him from the small embrace.
Again, the older nation looked a little bit uncomfortable when Arthur asked him if he knew what had happened to the Roanoke colony. He hated giving him barely anything to go off of for answers, but perhaps this instance was a blessing in disguise. The last thing he wanted was to give Alfred another reason for recurring night terrors that the rumours most likely would give. ”I haven’t the faintest clue, Alfred.” And that was true. Even he, a nation who had seen damn near everything, was perplexed by it.
”I know you try your best…” England said carefully, noticing America’s somewhat disconsolate response to his words. ”… that’s all I can ask from you.” And no, he was mindful not to actually ban him from playing with other children. That would make poor Alfred restless and lonely beyond measure whenever England took his leave. Then God only knows what shenanigans he’d be up to then.
Arthur saw Alfred’s face fall when he was asked about his stitches. And—he was pretty sure he knew the reason why. He already knew that Alfred excelled at reading his primer, which is why he immediately asked to see the results of what Alfred seemed the poorest at. In the time that Alfred had run off to get his handiwork, Arthur had finished his drink and was pouring himself another, relaxing a bit more into the settee. When the boy came back, Arthur could already tell from a distance that his stitches were sloppy. He breathed a slow, internal sigh as he took them from Alfred. Even closer, he could see that what should have been neat rows were crooked… but at least there were some semblance of rows… unlike the last time. And no smears of blood on the cloth, though he wouldn’t doubt that Alfred probably had sore fingers after a time. Overall… it was still as appalling as ever.
But he wasn’t about to say that.
”This is… better than before,” Arthur said evenly. Anything would have been better than before, so that much was at least truthful. He turned it over to see the back and instantly regretted doing so. It was an outright tangled mess. Granted the back isn’t supposed to look wonderful, but it was at least supposed to be clean. A small sigh escaped before setting them aside. He might need to pull aside… whoever was tutoring him in that (he still had difficulty with some of the servants names.) With his curiosity satisfied, he opted for a distraction.
”How about game, then, Alfred?” His expression relaxed into a smile. Glancing out the window, he’d guess that they had about an hour left of daylight. But then again, dinner was usually around then. It depends on… ”Or we could make dinner first? Are you hungry?” The last question was kind of a stupid one. Alfred was known for his vivacious appetite, but there were rare moments when his enthusiasm won out over other cravings.
. . .
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Nov 21, 2012 0:24:33 GMT -5 |
Post by Alfred "America" F. Jones on Nov 21, 2012 0:24:33 GMT -5
[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 500px; border-top: 2px solid #00262A; border-left: 2px solid #00262A; border-right: 10px solid #00262A; border-bottom: 10px solid #00262A;] welcome back home Alfred had indeed felt a peculiar sort of emptiness after leaving the family that adopted him behind. Surely some of that came from leaving the first thing he had that resembled a real family behind, but it went beyond that. It was more than just a feeling - It was more of a physical sensation.
Though the colony previously squirmed at the older nation's embrace, he settled into it this time around. This was a hug of comfort, and Alfred was happy to receive that.
Alfred smiled, unaware of just how fast his growth was already. It was still remarkably slow when compared to humans, and given that he lacked the information at this point in time as to how other nations like him grew, he had nothing to compare his own growth to.
"Sometimes I wonder what happened to them." Unfortunately, it seemed as though even Arthur didn't know the answer. This disappointed Alfred slightly. He figured that if anyone knew the answers to what happened at Roanoke, it would be England.
Alfred looked relieved at Arthur's next words. "I'm getting better!" Indeed, he was. He usually knew just how much to hold back on his strength in day to day activities so as not to cause problems (though there were still slip ups...there would always be slip ups). Even around most of his instructors and the housekeepers, he knew he had to be extra careful. Most of them saw a few oddities associated with Alfred and Arthur, but the majority were not privy to what Alfred and Arthur were. It was supposed to stay that way.
Alfred watched with a frown as Arthur looked through his stitches. He wondered what his 'big brother' would say. He knew that at the very least, he hadn't accidentally poked himself with the needle. He considered that to be progress in his book! The colony fortunately seemed pleased with Arthur's response, despite how vague it was. He was happy to hear that he'd improved.
The distraction helped as well. Alfred did not have time to think harder on Arthur's answer, because he was being given a choice on what he wanted to do next. He liked being given a choice! It made him feel more grown up. It was a hard choice though, honestly. Both options sounded extremely appealing to the colony. "Hmm...well, I am hungry." When wasn't he hungry, though? The boy had a huge appetite, something that wouldn't go away even when he was no longer a colony.
That being said, he knew that he would be eating no matter what. He knew that dinner wouldn't be forgone. He wasn't sure when he'd be able to play a game with Arthur again. It might be a long time before Arthur offered to play, with how often the older nation was actually around. Alfred could easily play games without Arthur - He was used to it! Still...Arthur was offering, and this was rare. "I think I wanna play a game first though. You might be too busy to play a game later on."
As true as it was, it did outline Alfred's perspective on the issue. It was considered more of a norm for Arthur to be too busy to play than for him to actually have time to spend with Arthur. He'd adapted well to it too, almost too well. Again, something that would have a huge impact on Alfred later on, when Arthur decided that he wanted to put a stricter hold on Alfred. By then, Alfred would be even more accustomed to getting by on his own without Arthur most of the time, and would reject it...even now, the warning signs were there, if only slightly.
[style=width: 120px; height: 120px; text-align: center; background: #EDEDED; color: 000000; font-size: 12; float: left;] 637 words for Arthur.
November 1689.
No notes this time either! XD [/style] |
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Dec 4, 2012 21:02:23 GMT -5 |
Post by Arthur "England" Kirkland on Dec 4, 2012 21:02:23 GMT -5
[atrb=cellspacing,4,true][atrb=cellpadding,5px,true][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,400,true][atrb=style, background-image: url(http://i.imgur.com/Vrs56.png); border-radius: 0px 0px 0px 30px; -moz-border-radius: 0px 0px 0px 30px; border: 5px solid #222222;][STYLE=border: 3px solid #363636; background-image: url(http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n222/amoline/pirate2.png); width: 100px; height: 100px; border-radius: 0px 0px 0px 30px; -moz-border-radius: 0px 0px 0px 30px; margin-top: -25px; margin-right: -20px; float: right;] [/style] [STYLE=border: 3px solid #363636; background-image: url(http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n222/amoline/pirate2.png); width: 100px; height: 100px; border-radius: 0px 0px 0px 30px; -moz-border-radius: 0px 0px 0px 30px; margin-top: -25px; margin-right: 5px; float: right;] [/style] [STYLE=font-family: georgia;; font-size: 26px; text-shadow: 2px 2px 0px #000000; letter-spacing: 1px; text-align: center; color: #a8a8a8;]— if the stars were mine,[/style][STYLE=font-family: tahoma; font-variant: small-caps; font-size: 10px; text-shadow: 2px 2px 0px #000000; color: #a8a8a8; text-align: center; border-left: 2px solid #cccccc; border-right: 2px solid #cccccc; border-radius: 30px; -moz-border-radius: 30px; width: 170px;]i’d give them all to you i’d pluck them down right from the sky and leave it only blue[/style] [STYLE=margin-top: 5px; background-image: url(http://i.imgur.com/8GyR8.png); opacity: 0.6; color: #222222; padding: 8px; text-align: justify; font-size: 11px; border-radius: 0px 0px 0px 30px; -moz-border-radius: 0px 0px 0px 30px; font-family: calibri; border-left: 3px solid #363636;]TAG: Alfred SETTING: Norfolk County, Massachusetts Bay Colony TIME: November 1689 NOTES: It would be cruel to pull Arthur away early... XD But I won't.
. . . Arthur’s thoughtful expression diminished slightly when he saw the clear disappointment on Alfred’s face upon hearing his answer about the missing people at Roanoke. Averting his eyes from his colony, his gaze trailed over to where he had previously tossed aside his hat that he had so carelessly left behind. It reminded him of other things in the world that he had seen, things that would forever remain in the unknown, and things from the past that continued to baffle newcomers. ”You’d be surprised how much of the world offers few explanations. The older you get, incidents like that start to become almost commonplace.”
The older nation could breathe a bit easier when he noticed Alfred’s pleased reaction. Yes, he did notice that Alfred took great strides to control himself around others. Unfortunately, having that amount of unusual strength meant that Alfred had to learn to control himself in ways that others wouldn’t normally even think about—such as hitting someone that had displeased him in a fit of passion. Of course, in Alfred’s case, that would generate more consequences than any other who might hit someone out of blind anger. At the moment, Arthur was pleased with Alfred and how he seemed to mind that. ”Good, Alfred,” he said, a satisfied smile forming on his lips. “I’m proud of you for learning control like that… Not everyone can manage something so difficult.“
Any improvement in stitches for Alfred (even a sliver of improvement) was praise-worthy, but he was quick to dismiss the mess in order to fully engage in the distraction that he had concocted for Alfred’s easily swayed attention. While nursing his still warm cup of tea, Arthur waiting for Alfred to make a decision. His leg languidly over the other and his attention wavered, fluctuating over a million and one things that he had to do upon leaving. There was so much to be done by the time his visit with Alfred was over… but it was worth putting it all off for a bit of time in exchange… even if he would have to toil relentlessly in the following months to make up for the loss. Spain wouldn’t like that. The thought of seeing that nation's bruised face again brought on the warm feeling of sadistic amusement and achievement. Arthur smiled wickedly into his drink.
His ‘other persona’ train of thought was interrupted when Alfred stated that he was hungry… That--was never really a surprise. Satisfaction never seemed to stay with the boy. God forbid that Alfred should ever experience true hunger that Arthur had in the past... or any other 'older' nation in the world.
Arthur felt the small sting when Alfred mentioned that he wanted to play a game with him because he might not be too busy to play with him later. Arthur immediately wanted to deny it, but the truth of the matter was that business as a quickly flourishing empire was sorely unpredictable. Even if he tried to clear away anything that could possibly interrupt their time together, it continued to be a nuisance… perhaps not as big of one now that he went out of his way to free up his time, but it remained on occasion. Nothing hurt him worse than seeing the varying reactions on Alfred’s face. When he was earlier, they were the hardest to ignore. They changed somewhat, growing slightly more reserved. He adapted well. But that didn’t make Arthur feel any less guilty about those moments.
”We should get started, then,” he said, his smile a little more forced as he sat up, righting himself. ”I think you should make the schedule. I’m here.. and open to whatever it is you have in mind.” Though, if Alfred’s previous reaction was anything to go by, it seemed that he might have trouble choosing which activity should be performed first, perhaps in list of importance according to Alfred. Whichever, Arthur was determined to stay the entire time that he had promised and accomplish everything that they could manage within the couple of months they had together. There were very few individuals in the world with whom Arthur felt comfortable enough to be like this and Alfred currently was one of them.
. . .
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Dec 6, 2012 0:24:10 GMT -5 |
Post by Alfred "America" F. Jones on Dec 6, 2012 0:24:10 GMT -5
[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 500px; border-top: 2px solid #00262A; border-left: 2px solid #00262A; border-right: 10px solid #00262A; border-bottom: 10px solid #00262A;] welcome back home Alfred wasn't sure what to make of Arthur's statement. The colony knew that there were disadvantages along with the advantages that his strength presented him with. He also knew that making sure he didn't unleash too much at any given time was always an ongoing challenge.
He beamed as Arthur stated that he was proud of him for his attempts to control his strength. He liked to hear that, seeing as he put a lot of effort into it. The additional comment about it being something that not everyone could manage made Alfred's mood even brighter.
He liked when things came easy to him. Not everything did - In fact, there were a lot of subjects that Alfred struggled in. He wasn't the best with geography, seeing as he'd never left his own borders and, at this point, had little understanding of what else there was in the world. It was something he'd never fully catch up on compared to the other nations either, though he'd certainly improve upon what he had now. He struggled with penmanship especially hard, even more so than he struggled with his stitches (and those were a major struggle too). Then again, he struggled on most hands on things he undertook.
He still didn't get what the big deal was. Alfred was sat at a table to learn how to write. All seemed well until he picked up the quill with his left hand rather than his right. His instructor didn't like this, forcibly removing the quill from the boy's favored hand and placing it into his right hand. Any subsequent attempts to use his left hand in such activities resulted in similar consequences - at least when he did so in front of his instructors or Arthur. Secretly, he was still practicing with his left hand when they weren't looking. It was so much easier to write with that one!
The colony smiled once more, bouncing on his feet a bit when Arthur suggested that they get started. "Yes, we should!"
His eyes widened, first in surprise at being allowed to make the schedule, and then in excitement. He was going to make the schedule? To him, that felt like a right of passage! Usually the grown ups made the schedules. If Alfred was allowed to make the schedule, that meant that he was growing up, didn't it? "Hmm...well, first I wanna play a game. Then I wanna eat. Then...then I wanna open my gifts! Or maybe we could open up my gifts now, then we could eat, and then we could play a game or play with my gifts afterward!" Alfred assumed (presumably correctly) that at least some of his gifts from the older nation consisted of toys. Alfred waited for the response, eying his gifts as he did so.
[style=width: 120px; height: 120px; text-align: center; background: #EDEDED; color: 000000; font-size: 12; float: left;] 480 words for Arthur.
November 1689.
No notes this time either! XD [/style] |
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Dec 22, 2012 22:26:03 GMT -5 |
Post by Arthur "England" Kirkland on Dec 22, 2012 22:26:03 GMT -5
[atrb=cellspacing,4,true][atrb=cellpadding,5px,true][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,400,true][atrb=style, background-image: url(http://i.imgur.com/Vrs56.png); border-radius: 0px 0px 0px 30px; -moz-border-radius: 0px 0px 0px 30px; border: 5px solid #222222;][STYLE=border: 3px solid #363636; background-image: url(http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n222/amoline/pirate2.png); width: 100px; height: 100px; border-radius: 0px 0px 0px 30px; -moz-border-radius: 0px 0px 0px 30px; margin-top: -25px; margin-right: -20px; float: right;] [/style] [STYLE=border: 3px solid #363636; background-image: url(http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n222/amoline/pirate2.png); width: 100px; height: 100px; border-radius: 0px 0px 0px 30px; -moz-border-radius: 0px 0px 0px 30px; margin-top: -25px; margin-right: 5px; float: right;] [/style] [STYLE=font-family: georgia;; font-size: 26px; text-shadow: 2px 2px 0px #000000; letter-spacing: 1px; text-align: center; color: #a8a8a8;]— if the stars were mine,[/style][STYLE=font-family: tahoma; font-variant: small-caps; font-size: 10px; text-shadow: 2px 2px 0px #000000; color: #a8a8a8; text-align: center; border-left: 2px solid #cccccc; border-right: 2px solid #cccccc; border-radius: 30px; -moz-border-radius: 30px; width: 170px;]i’d give them all to you i’d pluck them down right from the sky and leave it only blue[/style] [STYLE=margin-top: 5px; background-image: url(http://i.imgur.com/8GyR8.png); opacity: 0.6; color: #222222; padding: 8px; text-align: justify; font-size: 11px; border-radius: 0px 0px 0px 30px; -moz-border-radius: 0px 0px 0px 30px; font-family: calibri; border-left: 3px solid #363636;]TAG: Alfred SETTING: Norfolk County, Massachusetts Bay Colony TIME: November 1689 NOTES: D'aww.
. . . Although he didn’t voice it very often, as there were few profound things that Arthur ever made mention of, he really was proud of Alfred. Perhaps he didn’t excel in all of his subjects or wasn’t as diligent as Arthur may have wanted him to be, he was nevertheless well loved by the older nation. He wondered if he should say it more often… or maybe express it a little better. That had never been a particular talent of Arthur’s—he was more prone to stumbling over his own words or making awkward excuses to pardon his previously poorly executed demonstrations of his affection. But it didn't make him any less passionate about how he felt... At least he was improving from when he was young (or so he thought?) In actuality, Arthur maintained the same amount of ridiculous inelegance whenever it came to conveying feelings. No… he never was very good at that.
But he tried hard with Alfred.
Even if he couldn’t be entirely present throughout his growth. As much as it pricked Arthur's conscience, he couldn’t. It was exceedingly difficult for the older nation to be needed in so many places at once. Furthermore, he had his own growing to do as a nation. Physically, Arthur only looked about seventeen, but the demands that the nation had been placed under felt like they were for someone stronger and greater than him. It often felt like he had to fill into shoes that were a few sizes too large, but nevertheless, he attempted to fill them— and would rather suffer great pain than to let the world know of his veiled uncertainties.
Despite all this, he tried to be something similar to what a normal long-distance parent would be. He received letters of Alfred’s progress, kept them alongside Alfred’s correspondence, and even wrote back whenever he could. He remembered the entire ordeal of Alfred’s handwriting crisis—writing with his left as opposed to his right. Knowing how stubborn Alfred was, the instructor probably had his hands full, Arthur would wager. The thought made the smallest smiles appear--the only sign of warm amusement that he felt.
Watching the colony bouncing about as if he had been storing tendrils of bursting energy and was now just releasing whispers of it, Arthur began to stretch his arms a bit, nearly all of the stiffness in his muscles from travelling gone. Sitting for too long in one position called for some moving about. Playing with Alfred was the perfect opportunity, so Arthur was ready for whatever shenanigans Alfred was planning.
”Mmm—“ Arthur paused playfully, as if pondering, even though he knew exactly what he wanted Alfred to start off with... Alfred apparently liked the idea of creating the schedule, so Arthur was only going to ever so slightly nudge his own suggestions. ”I think you might like to open some of your gifts. Perhaps something will catch your eyes, love.”
Preparing food with Alfred afterwards did sound like fun as well. (But that was just England—always trying new, terrifying ventures in the kitchen.) He had a few new recipes that he was eager to try out and Alfred would the first victim to sample them… In the meantime; however, he encouraged his colony to pick out the first few boxes of gifts to open.
. . .
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Dec 25, 2012 1:24:19 GMT -5 |
Post by Alfred "America" F. Jones on Dec 25, 2012 1:24:19 GMT -5
[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 500px; border-top: 2px solid #00262A; border-left: 2px solid #00262A; border-right: 10px solid #00262A; border-bottom: 10px solid #00262A;] welcome back home Alfred still wondered why he could not spend more time with Arthur. He understood, to some extent at least, that Arthur was busy. He wasn't asking to be carted around with Arthur all of the time - He'd grown somewhat used to Arthur's absences, after all, and probably wouldn't react well to Arthur being around constantly (as time would tell). Still, he was physically and mentally six years old at that point. Arthur was the closest thing he had to a father figure. Why couldn't he travel with Arthur? It would give them more time to spend with each other, and Alfred could see places he'd only heard about in letters and lessons prior.
The instructor had more on his hands with Alfred than either Arthur or the instructor realized. He really didn't like using his right hand. It didn't feel right, and he didn't get why he was being forced to use it. What was wrong with his left hand? He'd taken to comparing his left hand with others. There was nothing weird about his left hand. It wasn't deformed or anything - It looked just like everyone else's. So why wouldn't they let him write with it? When he had to do any activities in his lessons that concerned his hands, he was watched closely to make sure that he didn't divert to that hand. Contrary to it's intended effects, it only made Alfred want to use his left hand that much more.
Spending time with Alfred almost always guaranteed that one would be moving around a lot. It was something he would never outgrow either. It was as if the colony (and later on, nation) had some sort of perpetual motion located within his person that kept him constantly moving.
Given that Alfred made a few suggestions himself, he reacted positively to Arthur's nudge. He liked that idea too! It was fairly similar to one of his own suggestions, though, so that only stood to reason.
"Maybe!" He was already eying the gifts as it was, trying to figure out which one would be the best to open up first. He was tempted to go for the larger looking gifts, excited to get those open and see what was in them right away! A small part of him also wanted to leave those larger gifts for last, since they were probably the best presents. Decisions, decisions!
After a moment or so longer studying the pile, Alfred removed one of the larger gifts after all. He wanted to see what was inside of the bigger packages, and attempts at being patient usually weren't his forte. "I think I'll go with this one first!" Alfred grinned, wondering if Arthur memorized what was in each gift or if he'd be just as surprised at Alfred would be. The blond grinned in excitement and started to tear into his gift. He hoped it would be something that they could possibly use after dinner, as that was the second part of the suggestion. Then again, he'd probably open at least a few more gifts before dinner as well.
[style=width: 120px; height: 120px; text-align: center; background: #EDEDED; color: 000000; font-size: 12; float: left;] 540 words for Arthur.
November 1689.
I'll let you pick what it is in the next post, and then Alfred can react to it in his next post. ^^ Figuring it was fitting to post this on Christmas, lol. [/style] |
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Jan 14, 2013 2:28:48 GMT -5 |
Post by Arthur "England" Kirkland on Jan 14, 2013 2:28:48 GMT -5
[atrb=cellspacing,4,true][atrb=cellpadding,5px,true][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,400,true][atrb=style, background-image: url(http://i.imgur.com/Vrs56.png); border-radius: 0px 0px 0px 30px; -moz-border-radius: 0px 0px 0px 30px; border: 5px solid #222222;][STYLE=border: 3px solid #363636; background-image: url(http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n222/amoline/pirate2.png); width: 100px; height: 100px; border-radius: 0px 0px 0px 30px; -moz-border-radius: 0px 0px 0px 30px; margin-top: -25px; margin-right: -20px; float: right;] [/style] [STYLE=border: 3px solid #363636; background-image: url(http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n222/amoline/pirate2.png); width: 100px; height: 100px; border-radius: 0px 0px 0px 30px; -moz-border-radius: 0px 0px 0px 30px; margin-top: -25px; margin-right: 5px; float: right;] [/style] [STYLE=font-family: georgia;; font-size: 26px; text-shadow: 2px 2px 0px #000000; letter-spacing: 1px; text-align: center; color: #a8a8a8;]— if the stars were mine,[/style][STYLE=font-family: tahoma; font-variant: small-caps; font-size: 10px; text-shadow: 2px 2px 0px #000000; color: #a8a8a8; text-align: center; border-left: 2px solid #cccccc; border-right: 2px solid #cccccc; border-radius: 30px; -moz-border-radius: 30px; width: 170px;]i’d give them all to you i’d pluck them down right from the sky and leave it only blue[/style] [STYLE=margin-top: 5px; background-image: url(http://i.imgur.com/8GyR8.png); opacity: 0.6; color: #222222; padding: 8px; text-align: justify; font-size: 11px; border-radius: 0px 0px 0px 30px; -moz-border-radius: 0px 0px 0px 30px; font-family: calibri; border-left: 3px solid #363636;]TAG: Alfred SETTING: Norfolk County, Massachusetts Bay Colony TIME: November 1689 NOTES: I gave you a choice between two things for the first one. xD
. . . Arthur actually really did want to take Alfred back home with him. Most of the time, it tore at his heart to leave the colony behind—though he always reasoned with himself that it was for the best on both ends. …That didn’t mean that he didn’t occasionally fantasise simply forgetting all of his self-inflicted propriety and to just do whatever the hell he wanted. Even if he would be endlessly busy with empire duties... it would be nice to come home to someone every evening. He would cook him dinner every night (or... say that he did) and if he had time in-between his duties, they would play with Alfred’s toys or start a game of sorts in the vast garden. He loved spending time with his cherished colony and he would spend every moment of his free time with the boy if he could. The more he thought of it, the less opposed he became to the idea of breaking their usual pattern.
Just this once... or several more times in the future.
Arthur also had his doubts about the latest "innovation" that designated that left-handedness was wrong. The ‘great-thinkers’ of the time were always coming out with all sorts of theories concerning what was the “right” way to go about education or what was even the correct sort of education to give the next generation. It was the ‘age of innovation’ as it had been for the past few centuries… In Arthur's experience, they would probably come out with something completely contradictory to their previous findings within the next year or decade. Regardless, Arthur was willing to try whatever was the current theory. Until they debunked it. And they probably would. He was sure of that. Always the predictable pattern of history that nations eventually grew tired of. So tedious…
Arthur watched Alfred study the pile of gifts. Having Alfred preoccupied for the moment gave him a little bit of time to savour his tea and to let his mind wander. He leaned back in his chair a bit, feeling languid and warm--something that he rarely ever got to feel in his daily life. Arthur was always doing something--whether it was writing and filing documentation, delegating meetings, diplomacy, holding council, pillaging, threatening France or Spain, sailing, or subjugating another part of the world... it was all part of his daily routine in one way or the other.
The nation’s attention was brought back to the present when Alfred pulled one of the larger packages closer to himself. There was a few that he wanted Alfred to open before dinner--some of which were things that he made himself and while they probably wouldn't be as exciting as some of the others, he hoped that they could at least be something that Alfred would keep around as small, modest reminders of himself about their home for those lonely stretches of time between visits.
There were two large boxes and several medium sized boxes. Arthur could remember what was in the two larger boxes, but he couldn't remember which was which. At the moment, Alfred was either opening the set of carved, painted toy soldiers or the exquisite toy ship that the child in Arthur (yes... he's still buried deep, deep somewhere within the adolescent-looking empire) was actually somewhat enamoured with the moment that it was set out in one of the pretty little displays of a small shop in a small borough of London. It was a beautifully put together rendition of a ship—freshly painted with separate delicate carved pieces that fitted together. If such a thing existed when Arthur was a child, he probably would have gathered little items as representations for little individuals to carry across the nearest (calmest) brook or stream. It was pure coincidence that he had discovered it, as he was on his way to a hearing that day.
He took another sip of his tea, though was nervously excited in his own way as Alfred tore open the first gift… whichever that was. Giving gifts to others, especially children, had a way of bringing back that warm feeling of what it was like to be young and innocent. Not that Arthur had that sort of childhood—at all, actually—but it was still fun to indulge Alfred in ways that he never experienced.
. . .
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Jan 15, 2013 0:24:13 GMT -5 |
Post by Alfred "America" F. Jones on Jan 15, 2013 0:24:13 GMT -5
[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 500px; border-top: 2px solid #00262A; border-left: 2px solid #00262A; border-right: 10px solid #00262A; border-bottom: 10px solid #00262A;] welcome back home Alfred, at that point, lacked all of the information that Arthur had when he made his decisions. This made it more difficult to understand why Arthur never let Alfred go with him.
The colony bounded back to his seat with gift in hand. He lifted the box gave it a shake, as if trying to parse what was inside from the noise that it made while he shook it. When he heard something moving around inside, his eyes lit up at once. He lifted the lid off of the box containing the gift, letting out a gasp when he saw what he'd opened.
"Wow!" He blurted out almost immediately, retrieving the model ship from within. He wasn't expecting something like this, but it was clear that he did not disapprove one bit. "It's just like one of the ships that you come to visit on!" Alfred grinned, turning the ship over in his hands and looking it over. After this, Alfred placed the ship on the floor, holding it with one hand and guiding it along. Suddenly, he began rocking the ship slightly with his hand, while changing his voice ever so slightly. "Uh oh Captain Jones, looks like it's getting really windy! What should we do?"
He then spoke in his own voice, albeit deeper in an attempt to sound more 'grown up' (as children often did). "We'll keep going! A little bit of wind isn't gonna stop us from seeing England!" He continued to push the little ship along the floor until it pushed gently into the side of Arthur's foot. Alfred looked up at once with a grin. "Hey look, it's England! See, I told ya we'd make it!" Alfred sat up once more, holding the ship tightly in his grasp (though not too tightly). "Thank you England, I love it! Maybe we can both play with it after dinner?" This was definitely one of Alfred's toys that would get heavy use, that much was evident already. That said, Alfred realized that there could be other great toys waiting to be played with among his gifts as well, and looked back at his gifts once more. England had said he could open a few, after all, not just one...
The blond set his ship on a table and proceeded to head over to the gifts once more.With each one, he tapped the side and held his ear close to the packaging, hoping that maybe he could hear something within. He did this a few times, with little result, before he selected one of the medium sized gifts and brought it back to his seat.
[style=width: 120px; height: 120px; text-align: center; background: #EDEDED; color: 000000; font-size: 12; float: left;] 452 words for Arthur.
November 1689.
Getting short. >.< [/style] |
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Jan 23, 2013 17:13:27 GMT -5 |
Post by Arthur "England" Kirkland on Jan 23, 2013 17:13:27 GMT -5
[atrb=cellspacing,4,true][atrb=cellpadding,5px,true][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,400,true][atrb=style, background-image: url(http://i.imgur.com/Vrs56.png); border-radius: 0px 0px 0px 30px; -moz-border-radius: 0px 0px 0px 30px; border: 5px solid #222222;][STYLE=border: 3px solid #363636; background-image: url(http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n222/amoline/pirate2.png); width: 100px; height: 100px; border-radius: 0px 0px 0px 30px; -moz-border-radius: 0px 0px 0px 30px; margin-top: -25px; margin-right: -20px; float: right;] [/style] [STYLE=border: 3px solid #363636; background-image: url(http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n222/amoline/pirate2.png); width: 100px; height: 100px; border-radius: 0px 0px 0px 30px; -moz-border-radius: 0px 0px 0px 30px; margin-top: -25px; margin-right: 5px; float: right;] [/style] [STYLE=font-family: georgia;; font-size: 26px; text-shadow: 2px 2px 0px #000000; letter-spacing: 1px; text-align: center; color: #a8a8a8;]— if the stars were mine,[/style][STYLE=font-family: tahoma; font-variant: small-caps; font-size: 10px; text-shadow: 2px 2px 0px #000000; color: #a8a8a8; text-align: center; border-left: 2px solid #cccccc; border-right: 2px solid #cccccc; border-radius: 30px; -moz-border-radius: 30px; width: 170px;]i’d give them all to you i’d pluck them down right from the sky and leave it only blue[/style] [STYLE=margin-top: 5px; background-image: url(http://i.imgur.com/8GyR8.png); opacity: 0.6; color: #222222; padding: 8px; text-align: justify; font-size: 11px; border-radius: 0px 0px 0px 30px; -moz-border-radius: 0px 0px 0px 30px; font-family: calibri; border-left: 3px solid #363636;]TAG: Alfred SETTING: Norfolk County, Massachusetts Bay Colony TIME: November 1689 NOTES: S'ok. xP I’m sorry about all the sap in this one. It just happened.
. . . Arthur’s eyes followed Alfred as he began to give the box a little shake. The warmth of the atmosphere sank deep in a way that few things could. Everything, from the hot porcelain against his fingers to the quiet fire warming the room to simply being there with Alfred allowed him to unwind. Outside these walls, there tended to be a lingering sense of paranoia and tenseness—natural reactions to all the pressures of accomplishing everything that he had set out to do in the world. Sometimes he didn’t realise how perpetually tight his muscles were until he allowed himself to finally relax with these visits. Beyond their home, there was the need to tense himself against the world—to always perform and act the way that an empire is expected to. Yes, it was tiring, but it was also, in its own way, rewarding.
Arthur couldn’t help the little rush of affection with Alfred’s reaction. A softened gaze followed Alfred as he began to a bit with his gift—swaying it slightly as a ship would. Closer and closer… The smallest of smiles broke through Arthur’s features when Alfred announced the destination. When it tapped the side of his foot and Alfred looked up at him with that smile, it made Arthur’s heart twist. Heaviness that felt a little too warm and a little too pleasant for comfort. But all the same, his expression reflected Alfred’s.
When he sat back up and thanked him, a tiny rush of self-conscious warmth went through Arthur once more. He wasn’t used to giving or receiving gifts, not to anyone’s surprise really, but it was still something that he secretly enjoyed. ”You’re very welcome,” he responded, setting his empty teacup down at the table. ”Yes, of course.” He could also tell that this one probably would receive various marks from use—probably quite a bit more than the others, but that’s what it was for. Sometimes small giveaways like those were desirable whenever the nation perused volumes in a secondhand book shop. A well-worn spine and crinkled pages gave away that it had once been well loved.
He watched Alfred poke and prod some of the other boxes, probably searching for any sound that would betray whatever was hidden. Arthur snorted softly at that. This time, however; Alfred chose a package that Arthur was more familiar with than the others. Only because it was one of the last things that he had packed for the trip. It had taken him at least a year to make, as free time was hard to come by, and some of the patterns were complicated. Even before he left, he had to finish the corner before quickly knotting it, breaking the lagging sewing string with his teeth in haste before folding the thick material away.
Arthur had already warned Alfred that some of his gifts naturally weren’t going to be as exciting as the ones that contained toys (e.g. more durable play clothes and such,) but he hoped this would be alright... In it's package, it probably wouldn’t offer any sound, as a large patchwork quilt probably would only be muffled nothingness. What made this one different from the others were in the patches. None of the patterns at the fabric shop in London interested Arthur, so he had to create his own, which explained the year-long hobby of something that he simply picked up from his worktable and toiled on in his spare time. Each square of fabric was a stitched image of something that reminded him of Alfred. Some of them included different constellations that he had told him stories about, as Alfred seemed to have developed a strong interest in the stars. Others included a familiar outline from other stories that they’d shared between the two of them--adventuring and exploring.
After finishing each square and stitching them together, the easiest part was putting it together with a thick, solid blue fabric backing, sewed with the patchwork side over cotton batting to make it thick and soft. In the end, Arthur thought that it came together nicely. Really, he had wanted to make something like this when America was a bit younger, something familiar from England that he could snuggle into whenever the night terrors got particularly nasty. Namely, the moments when Arthur wasn’t there to hold him instead.
. . .
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Jan 24, 2013 1:24:07 GMT -5 |
Post by Alfred "America" F. Jones on Jan 24, 2013 1:24:07 GMT -5
[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 500px; border-top: 2px solid #00262A; border-left: 2px solid #00262A; border-right: 10px solid #00262A; border-bottom: 10px solid #00262A;] welcome back home There would come a time, far sooner than Arthur would want, when Alfred would understand what Arthur was experiencing all too well.
Upon hearing England's response, a large smile came across the colony's face. Looking at the boat once more, his eyes widened slightly as he recalled something. He set the new box down before darting out of the room at once. He returned holding a small box of his own that he set in front of Arthur. "I wanted to get you something for you to have when you're gone, like you do for me, so Mary took me into town to get this." Inside of the box was a teacup and saucer set that Alfred hoped Arthur would put to good use. The older nation spent a lot of time drinking tea, after all! The housekeeper seemed to agree it was a good choice, and even shot Alfred a small smile when he darted by her carrying the package moments before.
Once Arthur had his own gift, Alfred took a seat next to Arthur once more and proceeded to grab his gift. He shook it, noting that whatever was inside made little noise. It didn't sound wooden, whatever it was. Alfred proceeded to lift the lid off of the second box. Inside appeared to be some sort of blanket. Curious, Alfred pulled the blanket out of the box and instantly noticed that there were different things in each square.
The first square he noticed was one with a constellation he recognized from when he'd peer out his window and look at the stars. Then he saw another one! As he continued to explore the quilt in his hand, he discovered more and more designs, but they weren't just any designs - They were designs that reminded him of Arthur, of games they would play together and stories that Arthur would tell him. He even saw a square that looked an awful lot like the buffalo that Alfred picked up when he first met Arthur! He also saw a square with the moon, and one with a ship that looked just like Arthur's!
Once he was done exploring the designs, Alfred proceeded to wrap the blanket around him tightly. It was nice and warm! It might not have been a toy, but Alfred still liked this gift. "Thank you, England," Alfred repeated once more, snuggling into his blanket a little more. Then he looked over at Arthur and indicated the box that he'd given Arthur a bit earlier. "Your turn to open yours!" He stated.
[style=width: 120px; height: 120px; text-align: center; background: #EDEDED; color: 000000; font-size: 12; float: left;] 433 words for Arthur.
November 1689.
No notes. =( [/style] |
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Mar 12, 2013 22:24:19 GMT -5 |
Post by Arthur "England" Kirkland on Mar 12, 2013 22:24:19 GMT -5
[atrb=cellspacing,4,true][atrb=cellpadding,5px,true][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,400,true][atrb=style, background-image: url(http://i.imgur.com/Vrs56.png); border-radius: 0px 0px 0px 30px; -moz-border-radius: 0px 0px 0px 30px; border: 5px solid #222222;][STYLE=border: 3px solid #363636; background-image: url(http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n222/amoline/pirate2.png); width: 100px; height: 100px; border-radius: 0px 0px 0px 30px; -moz-border-radius: 0px 0px 0px 30px; margin-top: -25px; margin-right: -20px; float: right;] [/style] [STYLE=border: 3px solid #363636; background-image: url(http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n222/amoline/pirate2.png); width: 100px; height: 100px; border-radius: 0px 0px 0px 30px; -moz-border-radius: 0px 0px 0px 30px; margin-top: -25px; margin-right: 5px; float: right;] [/style] [STYLE=font-family: georgia;; font-size: 26px; text-shadow: 2px 2px 0px #000000; letter-spacing: 1px; text-align: center; color: #a8a8a8;]— if the stars were mine,[/style][STYLE=font-family: tahoma; font-variant: small-caps; font-size: 10px; text-shadow: 2px 2px 0px #000000; color: #a8a8a8; text-align: center; border-left: 2px solid #cccccc; border-right: 2px solid #cccccc; border-radius: 30px; -moz-border-radius: 30px; width: 170px;]i’d give them all to you i’d pluck them down right from the sky and leave it only blue[/style] [STYLE=margin-top: 5px; background-image: url(http://i.imgur.com/8GyR8.png); opacity: 0.6; color: #222222; padding: 8px; text-align: justify; font-size: 11px; border-radius: 0px 0px 0px 30px; -moz-border-radius: 0px 0px 0px 30px; font-family: calibri; border-left: 3px solid #363636;]TAG: Alfred SETTING: Norfolk County, Massachusetts Bay Colony TIME: November 1689 NOTES: OhGod... the wait on this... I'm so sorry. >>; I didn't even realise that it had been that long...
. . . Arthur didn’t necessarily want to think of anything outside of what was currently going on. None of the dirty politics, the deeds that he felt that he needed to commit or even the prospect of what the future would hold for these two. Deep down, Arthur had always suspected that it wouldn’t end well. It had happened enough in his broken past to know that it was better to never expect anyone to follow through for him. No matter how many times they tried to convince him otherwise.
Arthur was taken aback when Alfred had abruptly left the room. He waited for a moment, fiddling with the cuffs of his jacket as he peered past the half shuttered windows, noticing how dark it had gotten so quickly. He wondered if Alfred would be awake for much after dinner to perhaps see the stars with him. Arthur liked to do it on occasion and he oftentimes liked to drag the young colony out with him in the garden to map them out with stories. Sometimes seeing them while he was doing bloody deeds in the name of his sovereign out at sea made the Empire feel a little less lonely, a little less empty.
When Alfred came back just as suddenly, he had Arthur’s full attention once more. He set out a small box in front of him, stating that he had gotten him something as well... Arthur stiffened as he reached for the box, just staring at the package, disbelieving that anyone would have actually gone through the trouble of gifting him something. In all of his years, he very rarely ever received anything… Even his own brothers were more apt to send him pranks or cursed trinkets, which would take him a solid few hours to reverse the moment he had touched them. Which was perhaps why he held nothing but dark reminiscences for past Christmases—or Yule, as he secretly called it more often—because that time of the year had only ever meant empty, quiet spaces, empty liquor bottles, and dusty letter holders.
Breaking free from his morbid thoughts, Arthur watched Alfred as he began to open his package, somewhat nervous. He waited as Alfred picked up the quilt, studying the patches. Warmth invaded Arthur’s skin and his heart did a strange little ache as Alfred took his time with inspecting each square, each one Arthur spent so much time embroidering, essentially putting his heart into every stitch. Though he couldn’t as physically close to Alfred as would have liked to be, he hoped that some of these tokens spoke of the fierce affection and love that Arthur harboured for him. Perhaps he wouldn’t understand now, but Arthur hoped that Alfred might be able to better read between those carefully crafted lines when he was a bit older.
(Oh, if he only knew...)
And… Alfred just grew incrementally more adorable when he wrapped himself in the thick blanket. A grin broke over Arthur’s face as he gave into the indulgent urge to wrap his arms around the soft, little bundle, squeezing and briefly rubbing his cheek against the top of his head. He released him. ”You’re welcome, lovie,” he said, feeling infinitely lighter than before, and couldn’t wipe away the wide, adoring smile that had crept over his features.
Returning his attention to the package, Arthur forced his fingers to finally move, opening it with as much care as if he were touching delicate porcelain that would crumble away with the gentlest touch. When he saw what was inside, an emotional knot tightened in his throat as he reached inside to pull out the teacup and saucer. It wasn’t overtly extravagant, but Arthur was already certain that he would cherish this one far above the others that he had already owned.
”Thank you, Alfred…” He managed to swallow back the painful knot as he carefully set his gift on the table where it would be out of reach for any possible accidents. ”This means quite a bit to me,” he said, pulling Alfred into an unexpected, playful embrace, hopefully catching the boy unawares. Arthur knew that Alfred was as hardy as they came, so he felt no qualms in play roughing with Alfred a little, pressing a kiss into his hairline and nuzzling affectionately into his hair as he pulled the child up, closer into him, laughing gently. Yes… no one but Alfred had ever seen the British Empire like this. And none probably ever would.
. . .
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Mar 12, 2013 23:24:25 GMT -5 |
Post by Alfred "America" F. Jones on Mar 12, 2013 23:24:25 GMT -5
[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 500px; border-top: 2px solid #00262A; border-left: 2px solid #00262A; border-right: 10px solid #00262A; border-bottom: 10px solid #00262A;] welcome back home Alfred would, of course, be thrilled to go out stargazing with Arthur. He would almost never turn down the opportunity to do that! He wrapped himself tighter with the quilt, surprised when Arthur pulled him closer. He smiled back at Arthur. There were so many designs on this quilt that he'd probably keep discovering new ones for a while! Though maybe instead of looking on his own Arthur could sit down and explain a few with him. After all, a couple of the squares confused Alfred, and he wanted to know a bit more about them.
The colony watched with bated breath as Arthur opened the box containing his gift. He hoped Arthur would like it! Arthur was getting him so many nice gifts that he wanted to be able to do at least something in return.
The silence that ensued as Arthur studied his gift left Alfred anxious. He shifted a little in his seat, leaning forward a little in an attempt to read Arthur's face to see what his reaction to the gift might be.
"I know you like tea a lot, and I thought you could use a new cup and saucer," Alfred stated as a belated explanation, still waiting for a reaction from Arthur. When Arthur thanked him, he smiled. Surely Arthur wouldn't be thanking him if he didn't like it, right? The older nation's next words confirmed Alfred's suspicions, and made the colony beam. It meant quite a bit to Arthur? That was even better than Alfred hoped!
He gasped suddenly when he was pulled into a surprise embrace, laughing as he felt the kiss and the nuzzle on the top of his head. He squirmed a little in Arthur's grasp, but relaxed into the older nation's hold. One day he would outgrow this, but it clearly wasn't that day.
For once, it wasn't Alfred's mouth that broke the quiet reverie, but rather his stomach. The colony's stomach let out a loud grumble, causing Alfred to start laughing once again at the silly noise that came out of nowhere. "Can we have supper now, England? I'm hungry." As if Arthur needed anything more than the noises of protest Alfred's stomach made to affirm that much. The colony pushed himself off of Arthur's lap and started to making his way toward the kitchen, looking back occasionally to see if Arthur was following him.
[style=width: 120px; height: 120px; text-align: center; background: #EDEDED; color: 000000; font-size: 12; float: left;] 399 words for Arthur.
November 1689.
No notes. =( [/style] |
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