completelycrazy | week 2 - austria - friday post-investigation

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week 2 - austria - friday post-investigation

[It's later in the day when Newt makes his way over to Austria's hut. He talked with Prussia earlier and he wanted to give the two of them some space, but the coast seems to be clear for the moment. He hesitates as he approaches, not sure that he wants to bother her tonight, but... Well, it's not like he's got a lot of time to beat around that bush.

He actually knocks on her door this time, and waits until she lets him in. What a gentleman.]

Hey, Austria? It's Newt.

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...

May I request something of you... after the fact?

[He perks up a little. Yes, please let him be useful.]

Of course, absolutely. What do you need?

Would you take care of my piano? I think it would be infinitely tragic to just let it waste away here in disuse.

[Instruments are meant to be played after all. It would be denying it it's purpose.]

Oh. [He wasn't expecting that. He's not sure what he was expecting, but it wasn't that. He glances at the piano.]

Yeah. I can do that. I'll take care of it. [...] Will you teach me something? I don't care what. Something you like so I can play it later.

[Austria looks pensive for a moment, but wordlessly gets up to sit at the piano, leaving space for Newt to join her.]

It's not 'Muse' or anything, but. Someone composed this for me, shortly before he also departed this world. It's rather... close to my heart.

[It's very short and she plays it very simply for him to follow along.]

Edited 2017-08-22 19:26 (UTC)

[He takes a seat next to her, watching carefully as she plays the song for him. He's glad that it's short and relatively simple; he should be able to remember this after a few tries.]

That's pretty. What's it called?

[He gives it a shot, and... butchers it a little, but he's trying. This is pretty far from his typical wheelhouse. It's going to take some practice. He'll keep trying until he gets it, though he might need some help from Austria.]

"Land der Berge, Land am Strome." [She gently fixes his fingering on the keys, and motions for him to try again.]

Translated meaning, 'Land of mountains, Land by the River.'

[It's her national anthem. Currently anyways.]

Edited 2017-08-23 04:09 (UTC)

[He laughs a little.] Ich kenne.

[He tries again, and it comes out a little better this time. It's not perfect, but it's a steady improvement.]

Has, uh, Prussia been by yet?

[She smiles, but looks as if she's doing her best to not have any emotions at all.]

Like this. [She corrects the him, playing a spot where he fumbles slower and more deliberate so he can hear the notes the keys are playing better.]

... I'm not expecting anyone tonight, nein.

Edited 2017-08-23 13:58 (UTC)

[He takes a moment to listen carefully before trying again. He's got the notes down, for the most part. It's the timing he's still messing up, especially when it comes to syncing up both of his hands. The rhythms are a little foreign to him.]

Prussia told me she was gonna come to see you. I'm sure she'll be around.

[He's desperately hoping she will, anyway.]

You want to see her, right?

[Once he has the fingerings down, Austria taps her foot in time with the piece while playing. A metronome would be preferred but she knows how to keep time just as well as one.]

I have been a source of contention for Prussia since my inception.

The main grievance would be not getting to finish me on her own terms.

Edited (phone tags were a mistake) 2017-08-24 21:34 (UTC)

[He plays the piece again from start to finish, and it's coming together! It actually sounds more or less like it's supposed to, at least.]

That wasn't my question. [He pauses, chewing on his lip for a moment to attempt a gentle wording of what he wants to say. Usually he doesn't bother with this kind of thing, but this is important.] Is there, like... Can you forget about the whole country thing for a minute? You're a person, aren't you? And so is she. Regardless of your history, you guys are close, even if you're not on great terms. So... Do you want to see her? I guess I can run interference or something if the answer's really no.

[She knows. She knows Newt wouldn't have heard that and had enough tact to drop the subject either, but-- hm.]

...

[Austria's foot stops, her hands tensing above the keys for a moment before dropping anxiously into her lap. It's hard in this moment of all moments to think about something like this. She has a country back home she will never see again. She has a people to worry for that will at best be unaffected by her demise and at worst--!!

She can't do anything about those things though. She can do absolutely nothing now. It's too late. Joshua is already dead and now her fate is sealed with his.]

I'm not a person.

Prussia isn't either, but that's where our similarities seem to end. [Prussia's home with Germany gives her a certain freedom, despite probably wishing she was still relevant and never had that freedom at all. Regardless of what happens to Prussia here, they will be taken care of by Germany.

Austria is alone.]

[However, that wasn't his question.]

...

[If she was a person...? Just a person...

Here she had been simply a person to everyone, hadn't she? Most people didn't understand the concept of a nation or even have the awareness to ask. She'd just been ...Austria. She'd talked to nearly everyone, become friendly with them or argued with them, had genuine feelings for most.

She could have just kept to herself, that would have hurt less.]

If I were a person...

[She wouldn't want to be alone.]

Edited 2017-08-25 14:37 (UTC)

[Perhaps it was just because Prussia was the only one here who knew Austria so intimately, but Prussia was always there when Austria felt most overwhelmed by everything here and wanted to isolate herself the most.

...although if she really thought about it. That was also true at home as well.]

If she wanted to see me, she would have come to see me. [Prussia has always been that way with Austria.]

I wouldn't have been able to make her leave me of my own accord, regardless. [Austria has always been that way with Prussia.]

[She knows she didn't answer his question though. Do you want to see her? Sounded like such a simple question but-- to her it's so complicated.]

I'm sorry...

[Feelings have always been so complicated]

I don't know how else to answer.

[He listens as she puzzles through this, not entirely sure what's so difficult about this question but at the same time understanding completely. He can't say that he agrees, though. Not fully.]

You are too a person. So is Prussia. Just because you... I don't know, represent something more than that? That doesn't mean you're not a person in your own right, too. You think and feel and want stuff just like the rest of us. That sounds like a person to me. And, hey, there's still time. She'll show. I'd put money on it.

[He plays a few notes of her anthem, considering his next move. Hm. May as well tell Austria about Hermann, too.] Can I tell you something?

...

[Austria welcomes the shift in subject.]

Of course. Bitte.

[don't get too excited austria.]

So... Back home, there's this guy I work with. Hermann. We're the last guys left in the K-Science division at the Hong Kong Shatterdome, which, that's not gonna mean much to you, but basically we're it. We're the last defense against the Kaiju, and so we've gotta work together, which sucks because me and Hermann are, like, totally different. It's like the music thing, right? He's more classical, I'm more punk rock. And it sucks even more because we used to be really close, actually.

[He misses those days, honestly. Things were easier when he and Hermann just communicated over email. Meeting was a terrible idea.]

Anyway, we're at each other's throats constantly. We fight all the time, we disagree on some fundamental K-Science theories, he's all about the math and the physics and he won't pry himself away from that stupid computer long enough to do any actual science, meanwhile I'm on the other side of the lab elbow-deep in Kaiju guts, getting real work done... Point is, I don't like the guy. He doesn't like me.

[He sighs, prodding at the keys again.] But, if he were stuck here with me? I'm glad he's not because that'd mean he was in danger too, but if he was, and he was going to die... Well, I'd want to be there for him. I'd want him there for me if our situations were reversed. Even if we hate each other most of the time, we've worked together for so long that we're close whether we want to be or not. That's worth something.

[He shrugs and shoots Austria a glance.] Kind of reminds me of you and Prussia, if I'm being honest.

[Austria listens, her hands twisting around in her lap. There are a lot of details she doesn't understand about Newt's life and listening to him talk about himself makes her realize she'll never get the opportunity either.

Not now. Not ever.

The feeling stabs her in the chest like a blade, twisting around with each word.]

Edited 2017-08-28 04:27 (UTC)

[She listens to every word despite this, eventually moving to rest her hand on his own and giving it a squeeze.]

You're a... very good person. Newt.

[...?

He frowns at her, not sure what she means.]

Is that really what you got out of that? I'm not. I mean, I don't think I'm a bad person, but on the morality scale, I'm not any better than anyone else.

[He squeezes her hand just the same, though.]

[She smiles, suppressing a laugh with her other hand, out of fear it could easily turn into tears.]

Nein... nein. Trust me, bitte...

[She whispers to him in her Austrian accented german.]

... If you're so sure.

You may leave the door ajar for her.

[Oh! He laughs a little, offering her a smile.]

I'm sure.

[He stands up from the bench and... Well. One more thing.]

Hey, can I hug you? [He's asking first which makes it not rude.]

[Austria nods.]

[Good! He's counting this as a manners win. Being polite is important to her, right?

He scoops her into his arms to hug her tightly, and though he won't linger too long, he wants to make sure she knows he means it before he lets go.]

You're a good person too, you know. I'm gonna do everything I can to make sure we catch whoever did this, okay?

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week 2 - austria - friday post-investigation

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1/ i'm not committing to a number i know myself

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4/5 nevermind i played myself here

5/5!!

holy cow i cannot wait for unlocks on this

HA HA same

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