[log] you had the power to know [closed]

[keepscalm]

Characters: England, America, Ginger, and maybe Charles?
Location: Various (buildings 49, 58, and 130)
Date: Days 153-155
Summary: Getting back together just in time for Valentine's Day, picking up tea, and then getting horrifically monstered.
Warnings: Mentions of character death; will edit for anything else

[49: A normal single-story house with a kitchen, living room, bathroom, and master bedroom. There's also a second bedroom that has been converted to a craft room; the crafts that have survived are dusty and mostly useless, being along the lines of scrapbooks and fabric cork boards. There's an old-fashioned but still working pedal-powered sewing machine here. A snowman has been built outside. "ALPHONSE ELRIC, STEPH BROWN, MAMI TOMOE, FREYA CRESCENT, EDWARD ELRIC, DAY TWENTY-EIGHT, TRAVELLING NORTH." has been carved into one of the walls.]

[58: A simple single-story building, the snow weighs uneasily on it, and it creaks and groans under the strain at the best of times. It's very dark, and only the kitchen and living room are intact. The kitchen has a back door. Two snowmen have been built outside. A message has been written on the wall in blue ink: "Don't wreck the snowmen! That's super mean!" "ALPHONSE ELRIC, MAMI TOMOE, FREYA CRESCENT, GREED, EDWARD ELRIC, STEPHANIE BROWN, DAY FORTY ONE, TRAVELLING EAST." has been carved into one of the walls. The following has been written on the wall in blue pen: "This is Building 95 97 on the composite map. Contact @CaptSteveRogers for details." Underneath this is a fairly accurate map showing the house in relation to the school and buildings 29, 35, 35, 37, 40, 41, 47, 48, 50, 53. House 34 is labeled "Medical assistance; hot, clean water. Contact Dr. Epps @claytonator". The school is labeled "School. Food available in cafeteria; DO NOT STAY HERE OVERNIGHT." The shed is labeled "Shed".]

[130: A decently-sized pharmacy. It must have once also had a small section for food, but the shelves are empty now. Sometimes medicine can be found here. Four of the floorboards have been pulled up in a corner of the pharmacy, revealing metal beneath. The following is drawn on the wall in blue ink: "This is Building 111 on the composite map. Medication sometimes available here. Contact @CaptSteveRogers for details." Underneath this is a fairly accurate map showing the pharmacy in relation to the hospital and buildings 58, 125, and 126. The hospital is labeled "Hospital; hospital morgue is UNSAFE, DO NOT STAY THERE OVERNIGHT." Building 58 is labeled "Ice tunnel north entrance." Near 126 he draws an arrow pointed southeast, labeled "This way to downtown area."]

Comments

DAY 153

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[England knows that America and Ginger are very near, and despite himself and the standards he holds himself to, he finds himself practically running to reach the house that he knows they're in. He stops at the sight of a second snowman in front of the house, smaller than the first; though the features of it confuse him at first, he quickly realises that those are supposed to be eyebrows.

This silly little thing is supposed to be him.

Though his exasperation is immediate, it's overcome by a well of other emotions that are much harder to keep track of and which bring a tightness to his throat. After a few seconds, he purses his lips and scolds himself for feeling this way about a dumb snowman.

It's just nice to be missed.

Without further contemplation on the matter, he pushes the door to the house open and calls out.] Oi! I'm here.

[fifty]

[And there's America, waiting just behind the door, having only just jumped back to let it open without hitting him. He'd been pacing back and forth a lot, waiting and watching, and now England was right there, only inches away. It was England's voice and England's face and England.

America tackles him hard enough to bring them both to the ground, crushing him in a hug.] England!

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[England yelps as America crashes into him, not fully processing what's happening until after he's already on the ground and disoriented from the sudden weight on top of him. It's not unlike when he'd visit again after a long time away from America as a colony, but of course, it's been a long time since then. And America is much heavier now.

He wraps his arms around America in turn as soon as he registers everything, his hold a little tighter than it needs to be. A laugh, joyful but strained with further emotion, bubbles out of him as he buries his face in America's shoulder.] Daft sod. You've gone and knocked me over.

[fifty]

[As if to help, America picks himself and England up, pulling England right off the ground.] I missed you!

[lacecase]

[Ginger waits in the background while England and America have their reunion. She's excited that England's back, too--so excited she could cry! Well, so excited that she definitely did cry. A lot. Mostly into her scarf. But her excitement is not the same thing as America's, she knows, because the two of them are very very special to each other. And their Special Relationship is special to her, too! So she hovers around, waiting for a free moment.

As soon as there is one, she throws herself at him, luckily not as powerfully as America did, and wraps her arms around him.]

Oh! Oh gosh! I'm so happy you're back! My heart feels so warm right now it could boil some water for your tea!

[If only that were actually physically possible.]

DAY 154

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DAY 155

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Morning, but he'll stick around a bit

[coyoteking]

[Charles arrives at building 58 pretty early in the day. He isn't sure if he's here first or not, but either way, he also knows this is a travel hub, since it's the only way south to the tunnels. He enters the building with due caution, hatchet in hands. Sorry, whoever is inside.]

Anybody here?

[If there's no answer to that, he'll just kind of hang out in the kitchen until someone else shows up.]

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[They arrive after Charles, but only by a few minutes at most. England's voice comes first, cautiously, after the sound of the door opening.] Hello?

[coyoteking]

[Charles tenses up immediately when the door opens, even if he was expecting it. God, he's so jumpy lately. Thankfully the voice that follows that sound is familiar, even if that's mostly because of the accent.

He moves to peek into the living room, sees England, and offers a wave.] Hey.

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[England, admittedly, feels a similar trepidation. When Charles reveals his familiar face, his shoulders relax noticeably from their tense position. He still doesn't exactly look friendly, but he's pleasant enough.] We didn't keep you waiting long, I hope?

hope you don't mind me tagging separately so I don't slow anything down any worse </3

[lacecase]

Hello!

[Ginger's greeting is much less cautious than England's. She's just excited to see someone she hasn't met in person before!]

Hi! How are you!

[Two greetings, but at least they're both very excited!]

of course I do not mind friendo you are fine

[coyoteking]

[Oh, well this is kind of a surprise. England said he might have people with him, didn't he? But Charles wasn't expecting one of them to be so... enthusiastic.

But hey, whatever, she seems nice.]

Uh, hey. I'm alright. Good as you can be, I guess, all things considered. How bout you?

[lacecase]

I'm fantastic!

[Her friends are alive and now there's a new face and it doesn't matter how cold they get because things are good! Super good!]

Even better now--it's so nice to meet you! I'm Ginger! Have we talked at all before?

[She's no network stalker, really, so she wouldn't remember his face from any other Network posts, and they'd only talked in text.]

Evening

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[England isn't very fond of the tunnels, given the kinds of memories he associates with them, but they're a necessary evil to make it to the downtown area. He tries to hold on to small joys; he's alive, he's back with his friends, it's Valentine's Day...

He enumerates these little things as they walk, motivating himself to keep up the pace. The pharmacy shouldn't be too far away now...

But then, he hears something. It's faint, distant, somewhere behind them. Maybe it's not even real; England has been having an issue with that for a while, seeing things in his periphery and hearing sounds that he's never certain anyone else could hear.

Still, he turns. And there, in the snow, no bigger than a toddler—

I'll do my best!

England grabs America and Ginger, taking one sleeve in each hand and tugging as he starts in the direction of the pharmacy. Even still, he's turned awkwardly, unable to take his eyes off of the very familiar anomaly just yet.] We need to go!

[fifty]

[America goes still for a moment--it would be a moment too long, had he not been dragged along, stumbling, by England. A face that everyone said looked so much like his, except with hair that was a little longer and a lot curlier and eyes that were violet and not blue. He continues stumbling along with Ginger and England.] Canada...?

[lacecase]

What--is that a baby?

[Ginger barely gets a good look at it at all before England's dragging them to safety, but her face pales. That can't...really be a monster, can it? Something so small and innocent? Her mouth still opens, she makes a sound that dies in her throat, a desperate, upset sound.]

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[England isn't sure who sounds worst amongst the three of them. America and Ginger's reactions are both heartbreaking, and England isn't sure of the expression on his own face, but the twisting feeling in his gut and the cold sweat along his temples tell him it's probably not good.]

I'll— I'll explain once we're inside. [His voice trips over the statement he gives Ginger, but there's no time to consider whether he really wants to get into his past with America and Canada or not. They just have to keep running.]

Nighttime

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[It's well after lockdown has safely fallen before England even considers entertaining his previous plans. It's not exactly the mood he'd want, but they could all probably use something to take their minds off of the monster outside.

Still, he's tentative as he reaches into his rucksack to retrieve a few things. He shifts to approach each of his companions in turn, addressing them in much the same way:] Might I have a moment?

[lacecase]

You can have more than one, if you'd like!

[Ginger is combating the horrible awful really bad thing that just happened outside by being extra cheerful. I mean, it probably just sounds like how she always is, really, but...she's going to make a very good effort to enjoy Valentine's Day despite everything. She's even been sending out...cute little poems to inboxes...! So she's, of course, happy to indulge England in anything he has to say.]

Time spent with you is time well spent, I think!

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[Again, England is struck with how terribly sweet Ginger is, and how much he probably does not deserve to have someone like her as a friend. But if he lingers too long on that, he will lose his nerve for this, and that would be a terrible waste of his gift.

A weak chuckle escapes him, affectionate but brittle, in part due to their circumstances.] That's certainly very kind of you.

[He delicately takes a seat next to her, fidgeting with the objects in his hands.] I've got something for you.

why did I never reply to this I'm a sham

[lacecase]

[The surprise is clear on her face. A gift? For her? She doesn't really get gifts that often! Especially not from guys who don't plan on sleeping with her.]

You did? Oh, England, you didn't have to get me anything.

[But that doesn't stop her from looking particularly excited as her gaze falls to what he has in his hands.]

[fifty]

[America perks up a bit as soon as England addresses him. He's still not in the best of moods, but would anyone blame him right now? Still, he smiles.] Course, what's up?

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[England settles down next to America and clears his throat awkwardly. He's still not entirely acclimated to the intensity of their relationship, rushed by necessity due to their circumstances.

He fiddles with the objects in his hands before eventually holding them out to America, his face bright red and his eyes focused somewhere on the floor. There's a piece of paper folded neatly into thirds and held closed with a smiley face sticker, and then a small drawstring pouch made from galaxy-print fabric and twine. The pouch is pulled shut.] Here. For— you know.

[For Valentine's Day.]