The room was filled with the murmur of pleasant voices. The early evening air wafted into the room, bringing with it the scent of mullein flowers. A laugh could be heard every now and again. Not an argument had erupted.
After the Summit, America had planned a get together for all the Countries. He booked a dining room at a nearby hotel and told everyone. All the countries had come—all of them.
Gea watched her Countries mingle and socialize. She had gotten roped into this little after party by dropping in on America at the wrong time. Not only that, but she also went through the headache that was their Summit meetings. She just had to visit one the strongest Countries she had. But, as the planet embodiment sat there at the far reaches of the room, she was surprised beyond belief at what she saw.
Gea watched her countries mingle and socialize.
The way they were all mixing together was something she never thought she would ever see. An obvious example was in her line of sight.
America, England, France, and Germany were talking about random topics that someone would expect of frequent travelers: time zone differences, airport terminal hassles, and the like. If an outsider saw them they would think they were just a group of businessmen or diplomats that were well acquainted. How Gea tried to see it like that.
But then she remembered. That wasn't America, England, France, and Germany talking. No, that was Alfred, Arthur, Francis and Ludwig.
She glanced around the room. There were Countries that wouldn't ever be together in the same room outside of meetings in the same little groups scattered around casually talking. Gea figured at first that perhaps it was all the alcohol, but she remembered that no one in that room had had more than a glass or two in the hour they had been there.
Gea leaned back in her chair and took a sip of her drink. She looked out the open window and saw that the glowing, white moon was un-obscured. A sad smile appeared on her face; that giant orbiting rock always reminded her how old she was. She had met the oldest and earliest of civilizations when they were only children, toddlers really. And one thing never changed when it came to country personifications.
They all desperately wanted to obtain that. How many times had she seen the Countries she'd visited stare at the people-… humans that happened to walk by? Even the younger ones understood; as long as they were Countries they would never fully have their own humanity.
Even if one of them wasn't a country anymore and still lived, they still held the same fate as when they were a country. She glanced at Pruss-… Gilbert. He hadn't been a country in so long but he still had to live like he did when he was. How tiring that must be for him, feeling like he didn't have much of a purpose; the only reason he still lived was because of the spirit of his country that still lived on in some of his former citizens and their descendents.
Sure the Countries had some human qualities, but it wasn't the same. They would forever be the immortal representation of their country as long as it lived. Their existence was a solitary one.
She looked back to a group where laughs had erupted from. Gea's grip on her drink tightened. Why hadn't she seen the signs? Well technically she did, she just decided to ignore them. The second she heard that the Countries had started to adopt human names she should have interfered—but she didn't. She had been told that a Planet shouldn't interfere with its Countries because that wasn't her place. Why did she listen? She was different, they all were!
CRACK
Gea looked grimly at her cup, a long, jagged crack traveled up the side of it. She left it on the table and rested her hands in her lap.
It was too late now. The Countries were too invested in their warped little world; a world where they weren't Countries, just a group of humans that just happened to be from different countries. Although, the worst part of it was…
"Hey, Gea!"
She looked up, Alfred had called her. "Come over here, you have to help me tell this story!" The woman smiled and stood up, walking over to him and the new group he had moved to. "Oh yeah, what story would that be?" she mocked playfully. The thoughts that had plagued her mind only seconds before were cleared away.
…the worst part of it was that she had eagerly let herself be sucked into that distorted reality. Her existence may have been slightly different then the Countries', but she was still an immortal representation of her planet. And just like them, her own humanity was just out of her reach…