Forest of Stone[America]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true][atrb=style, width:450px; background-color:#000000; border:8px #C8C8C8 solid; box-shadow: 0px 0px 5px #FFFFFF, bTable][cs=2][STYLE=font-family:georgia; font-size:30px; color:#FFFFFF; text-shadow:-1px 0 #666666, 0 1px #666666, 1px 0 #666666, 0 -1px #666666; margin-top:-30px; letter-spacing:-3.0;]they'll be the wrong ones you can bet .[/STYLE]
[STYLE=border:3px #666666 solid; background-image:url(http://i1021.photobucket.com/albums/af335/Star_The_Dark_Devil/19.gif); width:100px; height:100px; margin-top:10px; margin-left:5px;][/style] [STYLE=border:3px #666666 solid; background-image:url(http://i1021.photobucket.com/albums/af335/Star_The_Dark_Devil/19.gif); width:100px; height:100px; margin-top:5px; margin-left:5px;][/style] [STYLE=border:3px #666666 solid; background-image:url(http://i1021.photobucket.com/albums/af335/Star_The_Dark_Devil/19.gif); width:100px; height:100px; margin-top:5px; margin-left:5px;][/style]	[STYLE=font-family:courier; font-size:10px; text-align:center; color:#FFFFFF; text-transform:uppercase; letter-spacing:3.5; margin-top:-5px;]i don't know why you hide your face cause i'm coming for your neck[/style] [STYLE=font-size:10px; font-family:helvetica; text-align:center; color:#C8C8C8; background-color:#666666; opacity:0.7; margin-right:3px;]0554Thread America August 2012 no notes[/style] [STYLE=overflow:auto; width:300px; height:250px; text-align:justify; font-size:10px; font-family:helvetica; padding:5px; color:#666666; margin-top:-5px;] Loud noises erupted from the city even this late at night. The lights of the city buildings replaced the stars and above the sky rise building the only thing was a inky black ceiling. Hundreds of people seemed to be navigating the streets along with her as she pushed past them. Hettie was used to a big city of course, she herself represented one. It was different though, and the streets abnormal, the faces unfamiliar and not smiling at the familiar face of their city. This was because she was not their city, and if she was she didn't expect a warm welcome. Back home it seemed everybody noticed the girl, she was the life of a party back home and all the bar owners knew her by name. If Hettie was there, everybody else was there. This was not home though, and New York was strange to her. It was like being on a different planet. She was pushing past people who she had stopped trying to say sorry, or excuse me too. It seemed everybody was headed somewhere crazy important even at this hour and Hettie found herself intimidated. Was her make-up coming off? Did she look strange? Could people tell she wasn't from here? To answer her first question the city pulled out her phone and used the black screen as a mirror only to find all her make-up in place as it should be, the dark skin under her eyes hidden like it should be. Lifting her face and putting her phone away she couldn't tell anything going on in anyone else's head so she gave up and kept trying to navigate the maze of streets, wondering if she would find anybody nice to hang out with her. Hettie had been drowned in paperwork only a day before, bored and tired of everything she had packed a messenger bag with clothes, some make-up, and her passport. Thrown on a pair of black skinnies and a T-shirt that mimicked the German flag of her home. After that she took the first flight out of her home and that just so happened to be New York city, in America. She herself had never been here before, preferring simply to take a train somewhere in Europe but now that was different. Her black converses now stood on totally foreign soil and she had no idea where to go, or what to even begin to do. She would find a hotel and sleep, but what sleep was she going to get. Hettie would find a bar but she hated American beer. Why had she come here in the first place? The city sighed heavily, Germany would yell at her for leaving behind work. She always just wanted to make him proud but she seemed to cause him problems all the time. At least that's what it seemed to her. Why should she care though? It was not her problem. Hettie lifted her head and rolled her shoulders back and began walking with a purpose. She did not know what this purpose was but maybe it would help her find something, with all this random twists and turns she made, something had to stand out. Hettie now began to look around and actually look at the stores and clubs. Something would have to stand out, right? [/style]
[cs=2] [STYLE=color:#666666; font-family:helvetica; font-size:10px; text-align:center; margin-top:-10px;]song: twiztid credit: shiki @ ote[/style]

The bustling atmosphere of New York City suited Alfred just fine. Being the extrovert that he was, he thrived on both action and interaction. New York City had no shortage of either.

Alfred was in no rush to get anywhere in particular, though he navigated the streets with speedy precision. He had a meeting the next day, but had every intent to kick back and enjoy himself the night before. Seeing as he didn't have company with him at that very moment, he figured he'd stop by a bar and have a couple of drinks. There was a chance that he could meet someone there, and if not, he'd just head back to his hotel.

Well, that was his plan until he caught the all too familiar sight of a foreigner out of their element. To her credit, she did look dressed for the situation, but it didn't do much good to be all dressed up with nowhere to go! At the very least he could point her in the right direction! Wherever that was...

"Lost?" He inquired cheerfully once he was within speaking range. Being lost in a big city like New York was not necessarily a cause for cheer, but the foreigner in question hardly seemed perturbed. On closer inspection, she was familiar too.

"German?" He hazarded a guess. If he was wrong he could always play it off as a case of mistaken identity. As he looked her over, though, he was pretty sure that his suspicions were correct.

"How's Luddy been?" Alfred grinned, hoping that he'd made the right move in taking this extra risk with a more personalized question. He wasn't positive as to the foreigner's identity, only fairly certain. Regardless, he could still play it off if it turned out that he was wrong in his assumptions. If not? Well, his question worked out pretty well as a conversation starter. It was a win-win situation if you asked him!

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true][atrb=style, width:450px; background-color:#000000; border:8px #C8C8C8 solid; box-shadow: 0px 0px 5px #FFFFFF, bTable][cs=2][STYLE=font-family:georgia; font-size:30px; color:#FFFFFF; text-shadow:-1px 0 #666666, 0 1px #666666, 1px 0 #666666, 0 -1px #666666; margin-top:-30px; letter-spacing:-3.0;]they'll be the wrong ones you can bet .[/STYLE]
[STYLE=border:3px #666666 solid; background-image:url(http://i1021.photobucket.com/albums/af335/Star_The_Dark_Devil/19.gif); width:100px; height:100px; margin-top:10px; margin-left:5px;][/style] [STYLE=border:3px #666666 solid; background-image:url(http://i1021.photobucket.com/albums/af335/Star_The_Dark_Devil/19.gif); width:100px; height:100px; margin-top:5px; margin-left:5px;][/style] [STYLE=border:3px #666666 solid; background-image:url(http://i1021.photobucket.com/albums/af335/Star_The_Dark_Devil/19.gif); width:100px; height:100px; margin-top:5px; margin-left:5px;][/style]	[STYLE=font-family:courier; font-size:10px; text-align:center; color:#FFFFFF; text-transform:uppercase; letter-spacing:3.5; margin-top:-5px;]i don't know why you hide your face cause i'm coming for your neck[/style] [STYLE=font-size:10px; font-family:helvetica; text-align:center; color:#C8C8C8; background-color:#666666; opacity:0.7; margin-right:3px;]0407Thread America August 2012 no notes[/style] [STYLE=overflow:auto; width:300px; height:250px; text-align:justify; font-size:10px; font-family:helvetica; padding:5px; color:#666666; margin-top:-5px;] “Lost?” The word was spoken in clear English, seemingly directed at her. Hettie hadn’t been spoken too since she left the airport so it shocked her for a second as she turned around to see a tall American man, eyes focused on her. She had been right, he was talking to her. As he got closer his eyes seemed to pick something up and he asked a question she thought was a little more than dumb. “German?” It was guess but he hit it right on the head. She was of course German and it would be silly to call her otherwise. Hettie ignored that question as a nagging feeling bit at her mind, as if she knew this man from somewhere. That’s when is almost hit her, “How’s Luddy Been?” The nickname of her Country rolled off the man’s lips and at that second she knew she was speaking to a country. It was not her own this time though but one she hadn’t seen much of recently as she stayed more in Europe these days and drinking herself to sleep at home. This had to be none other than America, a man who had been both an enemy and a friend in the past to the people of her country. Though she wasn’t afraid to admit she wasn’t happy with him much at all after WWII with the American occupation of her city, hatred dims quickly in her mind. The blonde couldn’t help but give a small smile, “He’s fine,” She replied. This was a generic response but she didn’t know much of what the man was up too. She didn’t see much of him these days as she did her best to stay away from Berlin. So the best answer she could give was that, and she was sure that he was just fine. The smile on her face grew a bit in a diminished hopeful kind of way that she might get to see her beloved country soon again. Hettie lifted her head to look back at the country and as he was now closer she was almost positive of his identify. Hettie had been, more or less, hopelessly lost and thought this whole adventure was going to be a bust. Now it appeared that she had somebody to share the evening with, or so she hoped. “Mind if I tag along with you tonight? I don’t really have anything better to do.” [/style]
[cs=2] [STYLE=color:#666666; font-family:helvetica; font-size:10px; text-align:center; margin-top:-10px;]song: twiztid credit: shiki @ ote[/style]

Watching as the young woman turned her attention toward him, Alfred was even more inclined to believe that he knew her. There was definitely something familiar about her.

Her response proved it. Instead of asking who he was referring to, she responded in kind. She knew who he was referring to by 'Luddy', and a grin came across his face at the confirmation that his suspicions were correct. "Good! I saw him not that long ago, but wanted to see if anything was new!" He'd have to do a bit more thinking with the woman before him. She was German, though, of that he was certain. That helped to narrow it down considerably.

He wasn't positive that she knew who he was either, although his unrelenting presence as a busybody superpower meant that most could determine who he was with little effort whether they wanted to or not. Besides, even if she did know who he was, that didn't mean she was aware of his human name. Human names weren't always used unless he was either a) Fairly close to someone, or b) In public with them. As they were out on the streets of New York City, a human name would have to do. She couldn't go around calling him America unless they wanted to attract unwanted attention. Yes, Alfred loved attention, but not that kind that risked having his identity leaked. Even he knew where to draw the line where that was concerned!

"Alfred F. Jones, by the way," He provided by way of introduction. If she had any doubts to who he was, perhaps providing his human name would take away any of those doubts. He wasn't sure how often Ludwig used his human name in affairs. Alfred used both Ludwig and Germany interchangably (though he often shortened 'Ludwig' to 'Luddy', as he was prone to do with just about any name that could be shortened into a pet name - and yes, this included his bosses).

He smiled at once when the young woman asked if she could tag along. "Of course! Don't want you to get lost again." He chuckled.

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true][atrb=style, width:450px; background-color:#000000; border:8px #C8C8C8 solid; box-shadow: 0px 0px 5px #FFFFFF, bTable][cs=2][STYLE=font-family:georgia; font-size:30px; color:#FFFFFF; text-shadow:-1px 0 #666666, 0 1px #666666, 1px 0 #666666, 0 -1px #666666; margin-top:-30px; letter-spacing:-3.0;]they'll be the wrong ones you can bet .[/STYLE]
[STYLE=border:3px #666666 solid; background-image:url(http://i1021.photobucket.com/albums/af335/Star_The_Dark_Devil/19.gif); width:100px; height:100px; margin-top:10px; margin-left:5px;][/style] [STYLE=border:3px #666666 solid; background-image:url(http://i1021.photobucket.com/albums/af335/Star_The_Dark_Devil/19.gif); width:100px; height:100px; margin-top:5px; margin-left:5px;][/style] [STYLE=border:3px #666666 solid; background-image:url(http://i1021.photobucket.com/albums/af335/Star_The_Dark_Devil/19.gif); width:100px; height:100px; margin-top:5px; margin-left:5px;][/style]	[STYLE=font-family:courier; font-size:10px; text-align:center; color:#FFFFFF; text-transform:uppercase; letter-spacing:3.5; margin-top:-5px;]i don't know why you hide your face cause i'm coming for your neck[/style] [STYLE=font-size:10px; font-family:helvetica; text-align:center; color:#C8C8C8; background-color:#666666; opacity:0.7; margin-right:3px;]0420Thread America August 2012 no notes[/style] [STYLE=overflow:auto; width:300px; height:250px; text-align:justify; font-size:10px; font-family:helvetica; padding:5px; color:#666666; margin-top:-5px;] "Alfred F. Jones, by the way," He introduced himself, and Hettie was sure she had heard that name before. If she wasn’t positive he was America before she was now. She didn’t pay much attention to the on goings of the countries and it got confusing when they used the other’s human names. He was part of the eight richest countries in the world though, even if she wondered how he managed that. It wasn’t hard to place that name as America’s. Even Ludwig had referred to him by that once, she couldn’t really remember when that had been though. She got an answer to the next words out of her mouth, perhaps not in the way she wanted."Of course! Don't want you to get lost again." “I wasn’t lost. You can’t be lost if you’re not going anywhere particular in the first place.” She quickly replied, her blue eyes leaving his. She wasn’t going to admit out loud that she had no idea where she was or where she was going. She cleared her throat a bit before introducing herself, “My name is Hettie Gottlieb.” She still wouldn’t look back at him though. In all truth contact with a person that wasn’t just a normal human was a little strange for her, even as the capital of a state Hettie was had always preferred the company of her own people than that of the other cities or even countries. So it had been awhile since she talked to somebody of his status, and she didn’t really know what to talk about. This wasn’t her city and she couldn’t just go with what she normally talked about with her friends back home. She realized she was a little scared, even intimidated as she watched the cars on the street roll by with their bright lights. Hettie was going to sigh but instead she turned her eyes back to him and asked a question. “So where are we going?” She said happily pulling out that bright, cheerful smile of her her’s. The smile wouldn’t reach her eyes though and they just shined in the city lights like a glass mirror. She figured that would be a good place to start, He may not remember her as Munich, heck he might not even remember her at all. Asking where he was planning on going, since she was now tagging along, seemed like the best thing she could as at that moment. This just might be a very long night for the girl. [/style]
[cs=2] [STYLE=color:#666666; font-family:helvetica; font-size:10px; text-align:center; margin-top:-10px;]song: twiztid credit: shiki @ ote[/style]

'You can't be lost if you're not going anywhere in particular in the first place.' To Alfred, that fit the very definition of lost. "If you say so." He stated with a chuckle, his tone teasing. Germans were stubborn, he knew that from experience.

Not that he was really one to talk.

"Hettie Gottlieb." Alfred repeated, finally having a name to go with her face. Yes, that name was definitely familiar. It wasn't one that he'd heard much recently, but he could certainly recall hearing it in the past. "Have you been to New York City before or is this your first time?" If he had to make a guess, he would go for the latter. With that taken into consideration, it opened up even more options. Alfred could show her the sights!

Sure enough, Hettie asked him where they were headed. Given that she'd already established that she didn't have anywhere in particular in mind, Alfred supposed that it was up to him to decide. "Well, I was just gonna go out for a few drinks, but now that you're here I might take you sightseeing!" Going out for drinks hardly seemed appropriate when this was Hettie's first time in Alfred's borders. He wanted to do some showing off!

With that much said, though...perhaps Hettie was looking for some refreshment? He felt as though he should make certain of that before he reached the decision on where to head first. "Are you thirsty? Hungry? If so we should probably stop and grab something to eat or drink before we go out on the town. Is there anything in particular you'd like to go see or do?" Alfred peered over at her in curiosity, unaware that the level of friendliness that he directed toward Hettie almost bordered on overbearing.

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true][atrb=style, width:450px; background-color:#000000; border:8px #C8C8C8 solid; box-shadow: 0px 0px 5px #FFFFFF, bTable][cs=2][STYLE=font-family:georgia; font-size:30px; color:#FFFFFF; text-shadow:-1px 0 #666666, 0 1px #666666, 1px 0 #666666, 0 -1px #666666; margin-top:-30px; letter-spacing:-3.0;]they'll be the wrong ones you can bet .[/STYLE]
[STYLE=border:3px #666666 solid; background-image:url(http://i1021.photobucket.com/albums/af335/Star_The_Dark_Devil/19.gif); width:100px; height:100px; margin-top:10px; margin-left:5px;][/style] [STYLE=border:3px #666666 solid; background-image:url(http://i1021.photobucket.com/albums/af335/Star_The_Dark_Devil/19.gif); width:100px; height:100px; margin-top:5px; margin-left:5px;][/style] [STYLE=border:3px #666666 solid; background-image:url(http://i1021.photobucket.com/albums/af335/Star_The_Dark_Devil/19.gif); width:100px; height:100px; margin-top:5px; margin-left:5px;][/style]	[STYLE=font-family:courier; font-size:10px; text-align:center; color:#FFFFFF; text-transform:uppercase; letter-spacing:3.5; margin-top:-5px;]i don't know why you hide your face cause i'm coming for your neck[/style] [STYLE=font-size:10px; font-family:helvetica; text-align:center; color:#C8C8C8; background-color:#666666; opacity:0.7; margin-right:3px;]0460Thread America August 2012 no notes[/style] [STYLE=overflow:auto; width:300px; height:250px; text-align:justify; font-size:10px; font-family:helvetica; padding:5px; color:#666666; margin-top:-5px;] He repeated her name to himself, She wondered if he had any idea who he was talking to by that point. She would guess he didn’t, cities are harder to remember than Countries, and their capitals were easier to remember than just a normal city like her. Though Hettie would argue with this normally and say everybody better remember her, cause without her there wouldn’t be any good beer to drink. Right now though she was on foreign soil and her will to fight was a little low at the moment. She wasn’t easily remembered by a lot of people. Other German cities and states would remember her but not a Country that wasn’t hers. She almost laughed at how narcissistic she could be, she kept herself quiet though. "Well, I was just gonna go out for a few drinks, but now that you're here I might take you sightseeing!" He seemed pretty happy about the idea of showing off, and just a few seconds ago she thought she could be narcissistic. This wasn’t unusual though, weather you were a Country or just a City you loved the idea of showing off what you had. She couldn’t really say that for everybody, but she personally found that it sure seemed that way. Showing people all the lovely sights gave you a happy feeling, and Hettie sure did find it satisfying to have people admire her little world. It made her forget that it had been a place of much darkness not long ago. “I guess that could be fun,” She said with a little laugh. He began to ask her if she was thirsty or hungry. Saying they could stop and get something if she wanted too. Hettie took a look around and couldn’t find herself very interested in the stuff that was around. She would normally say she was up for a beer but the laws here were different. You couldn’t just walk around drinking, and besides she didn’t like American beer too much. America himself was a little too friendly for her liking really, she couldn’t say they were really more than strangers with a little something in common. She wondered if it was normal for people here to be like this. Munich shook her head softly. “No I’m pretty good, but I guess we could get some water bottles to carry around while we walk.” She suggested the idea while rolling her shoulders back. She couldn’t really say she was hungry, but she couldn’t say the same for the large American next to her. Having a water bottle or two on hand while walking all over a large city like this seemed like a perfectly good idea to her. She seemed to hope Alfred thought so too. [/style]
[cs=2] [STYLE=color:#666666; font-family:helvetica; font-size:10px; text-align:center; margin-top:-10px;]song: twiztid credit: shiki @ ote[/style]

Alfred tried to recall where he'd seen teh German before. He knew her from somewhere, though he wasn't positive where. Then it came to him - Olympics. "That's where I know you from! The Olympics!" Alfred grinned, satisfied with his deduction.

"It will be fun," Alfred corrected Hettie, beaming. He did not realize that Hettie was a little put off by how forward he was being. He couldn't exactly help it. He was an extrovert who enjoyed being around others, and it showed - perhaps a little too well. Alfred already had a mission in mind, and he would not take no for an answer!

He was surprised when Hettie asked for bottles of water. When he offered to grab something to eat or drink, bottled water was not the first thing that he had in mind. As he thought about it, though, it wasn't a bad idea on the German's part. Bottled water was convenient and easy to carry around. "We'll stop by a convenience store then and grab some."

Fortunately, the duo did not have to go far - Just a block or so down was a convenience store. Alfred slipped in and grabbed two bottles of water. He also grabbed a bag of chips. "Just a little something to snack on," Alfred explained with a grin. He went up to the counter and paid for the chips and water before heading back outside, slipping the bottle of water into the pocket of his jeans while still holding the bag of chips. He proceeded to crack them open, tossing a handful into his mouth before holding the bag out to Hettie. "Want any?" He offered, voice slightly muffled from the chips still in his mouth.

He proceeded to swallow before asking his next question. "So where to first? Did you have anything in mind? I'd suggest the Statue of Liberty but it's already closed for the night." Alfred sighed.

[Note concerning the Statue of Liberty - It's actually temporarily closed right now due to damages from Hurricane Sandy. However, since this rp takes place in August 2012, it's dated before the hurricane...meaning it would still be open for business were it earlier in the day. Just thought I'd offer some clarification. XD]

The City jumped with his sudden realization. "That's where i know you from! The Olympics!" He was grinning that stupid American grin and the German gave a sigh. Well yes that would be a place where they could have met, and in a way that would make sense. At least it would if it hadn't been such a huge mess for the city, the thought causing her drop her head down even farther and tuck a strand of blonde behind her ear. The seemingly stale air of the city picked up into a quick breeze before dying down without much glamor. Hettie lifted her head back to the American.

"Well we might have seen the other there, but It kind of ended up being a big mess." Hettie hoped the clue would sink in for him, she was German, and a city that once held the Olympics. It shouldn't be that hard she hoped to think of a German city whose Olympics didn't go so well. She could just give code for the poor man as she knew who he was, but he still seemed to be having issues deducting which one she was. After her last statement he felt the need to correct her, and she was wondering if his face ever got sore from smiling so much. Just how could one be so happy, and with that though Hettie grew envious of the man. She didn't know how to be happy like that anymore, as if nothing in the world could touch him. He was a country though meaning that he had to have something that could snatch that happiness away. Hettie closely studied that beaming mans face as she spoke to him. It just could not be possible to be this happy.

"We'll stop by a convince store then and grab some." Hettie nodded and followed after him with a light trot, trying to keep up with the taller man's large strides. While Hettie knew she was a good height, and taller than a lot of women she has met here in America, she just hadn't come to accept that fact she was still a lot shorter than most men. She didn't have to keep up with him for long though as they spotted a convince store rather quickly. She slipped in after him suddenly self-conscious again about not knowing exactly what she was doing or where she was. She tried to shake the feeling off as she watched the American grab the water bottles and a bag of chips, whose brand she wasn't fast enough to read. Curse her English writing powers, she should work on that a bit. She was just fine with speaking the language but she can't remember the last time she needed to write or read anything English that her life would depend on. She didn't care much as he paid for the items and they exited back out onto the street. Hettie herself slipped her water into her bag before Alfred offered her some of the mystery chips, which allowed the German to have a brave moment and grab a chip to try.

He swallowed his food before asking his next question much to the girl's relief. Hettie had to think about that for a second as she looked around. "I don't really know to tell you the truth, though someplace a bit quieter would be nice. It's pretty loud here, cause I'm just not used to the noise of this city." Hettie replied a bit carefully while scratching the back of her head. She wasn't used to New York, she was used to Munich, her home. So it was a bit overwhelming to be in a city so vastly different from her own. It all felt so much colder.

Alfred indeed recognized the Olympics ceremony she was referring to, and his smile dropped for the first time in the conversation. Yes, he could recall that one very well.

The young nation was not as carefree as he appeared, of course. His position in the world meant that he consistently had a lot on his plate, whether forced upon him or taken on by his own volition. Showing Hettie around his city hardly registered on that scale. It was a fun little activity that he intended to enjoy, hence why he was in such high spirits.

When Hettie accepted his offer for a chip, Alfred watched Hettie with a small smile playing across his face. "So...what do you think?" He personally found the chips delicious, but with Alfred a lot of foods fell into that category. He was not a picky eater in the least, willing to try just about any cuisine. He did make a few exceptions for English food, but that had less to do with the taste and more to do with petty spite against his former caretaker - that and the fact that he'd gotten food poisoning the last time he'd tried Arthur's blood pudding). While Arthur was admittedly not as terrible of a cook as many proclaimed, Alfred had absolutely no intent of eating blood pudding again for a long time Just the thought made him pale, the slightest hint of nausea creeping up in his stomach. He should have never trusted a dish with that name.

Hettie's request would make their night on the city a bit more of a challenge. "Hmm...well, there aren't too many quiet places around here." Thus far, most of the destinations he'd thought of were tourist attractions that no doubt would attract crowds. Even the museums would be closed at this time of night. "Maybe we could go for a jog or walk around the park? It's usually pretty quiet this time of night!" There would still be people, of course, though fewer than during the day.