Saudade | CountryHumans RusAme

53 ‎ ‎ ‎ Made Just To Be Broken

AMERICA
"Holy shit!" Poland yelled, the scream reverberating across the walls. He banged the walls a few times for extra emphasis and South had to physically pull him away from landing a third blow. "It sent! It sent? What the fuck?"

He did a victory lap around the room as Reich shamelessly took his seat and began to type in a series of continuous 'hello hello hello hello hello's, peering at the screen like it was some sort of magic incantation brought down by Jesus himself for instant replies.

"That's not it works!" China shrilled, kicking Reich off the chair and taking it himself. Adrenaline was heating up the room, sparking electricity into the air.

Romania, he wrote. This is China typing via JE's account. We found a way to contact you through an old USB. Can you get us a reply as soon as possible? We need to talk. I don't know what you've found back in Neo, but we've definitely discovered a thing or two back here.

His fingers stopped. "We just need to wait for a reply."

"What if UN pretends to be her?" Japan said feebly, biting on her fingernails. "He definitely keeps strict watch on all of our texts, anyway."

"We'll tell if he's typing," Italy rolled his eyes. "Old geezer probably hasn't seen a slang word since the Crusades anyway."

A chorus of laughter. "He'll think it's code for the imminent doom of his regime," Reich smiled. Whatever sentiment they had felt for each other before, it had now been amplified tenfold for UN.

★

The entire day, the Representatives lolled around, waiting impatiently for a reply (Ukraine checked the chatbox every five minutes). But alas, as night fell and the sun began its near-imperceptible descent, the message still remained on Delivered.

"There's nothing to do anymore," South complained, beads of sweat rolling down his forehead. In a bout of boredom he and Poland had ran fifteen laps around their Airbnb, nearly baking themselves alive. "Do we have any other libraries to search?" 

China shook his head, playing with a morsel of dust on the windowsill. "I've exhausted every option I've had and I am not in the mood to think of more." 

The silence that followed was shattered inexorably by America. "Let's go somewhere," he blurted, loud enough for everyone to snap out of dreary internet-induced lethargy. 

Ukraine stopped in the middle of a perfectly knotted braid, not looking up as if she wouldn't deign to drop her gaze from the lock of hair. "And you propose what location?" 

America pursed his lips. "An amusement park," he said as he met their gazes, unblinking and resolute. Germany laughed, shaking his head, unmistakably impressed with his ability to retain a ridiculous amount of determination even when things were ostensibly unraveling to its end. 

A pause. Then ─ "Okay," Ukraine said suddenly, setting down her hair tie. "Let's do it." 

★

RUSSIA
The air shimmered with the heat of mirages; illusions in the steel skeletons of roller coasters and echoing screams of terror-excitement hybrids, racing in windswept wonder across the tracks. The scent of spun sugar and pretzels drifted through the air, clinging to the breeze and the painted walls, giving a sickly-sweet tinge to the air. The park was ear-splittingly loud, and it had already been rather coma-inducing to stand in the entry line for an hour (they played a frighteningly bad game of Heads Up!), but at least now there was only sun to shy away from. 

"I'm overstimulated," Japan admitted, shaking a navy blue cap onto her head that read TOKYO. "South and I are heading to get a game of archery in at those stupid rip-off stands. Anyone in?"