Chapter Ten, aru
A Tourist Attraction
Soon afterwards Ukraine arrived too, with nails were painted blue and yellow and warm hugs for everyone.
"Bozhe moi*! I'm so glad to see you all!" she exclaimed, wiping a tear from her eye (she sure does cry a lot, aru). "Yao...you got a haircut?"
Thanks a lot, Anya. Thanks a lot, Hong Kong!
"What? Seriously?"
"No way, lemme see!"
"Yeah, he did, look!" Ukraine squealed, pointing at my hair.
"It's true!" Poland proclaimed (that all the world might hear, aru). He began advancing towards me, mouth curled into a pink little O of shock and eyes wider than saucers. Uncomfortable, I took a few steps back.
"Why did you cut off your ponytail, it suited you!" Romania whined, as outspoken as ever.
"Mm-hmm," Anya agreed.
Elisabeta came running in through the door, Moldova in tow.
"Omigosh! China you really did cut your hair! Ştefan, look!"
Little Moldova clung to the long green folds of Hungary's dress, uncertainty in his eyes. "Mommy, I'm sca-a-ared!" he wailed, burying his face in her apron.
"SHE'S NOT YOUR MOMMY, I'M YOUR MOMMY!" Romania yelled, obviously angry at Hungary and not at his little brother. Hungary lifted the hand that wasn't stroking Ştefan's hair to her nose and stuck out her pink little tongue at the furious Europalien. (They act like children, honestly they do, aru.)
I went hot all over. Some people (especially Europaliens) simply don't know how to keep out of other people's business. I tried to think of something 'cool' to say, but nothing came to mind, aru.
Finally, Lithuania came to the aid of the damsel in distress (me).
"Oh guys, leave him alone," he chided. "He actually doesn't look all that different. And besides, can't a guy get a haircut without being pounced on by the whole lot of you?"
Moldova shut up but he stuck his thumb in his mouth, and anybody knows that it is bad luck for a child to do that; so I gave him a panda-shaped Chinese mango lollipop (I love children, aru, so I always have this sort of thing on hand). With screams of delight this time, rather than terror he flopped onto the plush red couch and got busy.
The doorbell rang, and in walked Bulgaria. I cringed the moment he lay eyes on me, aru.
"Wow, Yao, you cut your ponytail!" he predictably gasped. Before I even had the chance to sigh and nod listlessly Lithuania once again jumped in.
"Urrgh!" he snarled (I was glad Liet was taking my side, but by now it had begun to rather embarrass me). "I said this before and I'll say it again; can't someone cut their hair without becoming a tourist attraction?"
Personally, I think Liet was very pleased with that expression of his, aru.
The younger nations eyed each other uneasily, but the answer was already clear.
"If that someone is Mr. China, no," Moldova summed up the collective opinions of every nation in the room, from his imposing position - flopped on the red leather couch and eyeing us all benevolently, aru.
"Definitely," Hungary said, playing with my hair. A disbelieving but approving glance in her eyes.
How had she gotten to my shoulder so fast, aru?
"Yao, I actually think you look cooler now," Ukraine purred.
"Mmmm," Hungary mumbled indistinctly, burying her face in my shirt (for some strange reason).
Looks like I won't have to tie a kerosene-soaked Hong Kong to a lit firecracker anymore – I could get used to being a tourist attraction, aru!
To be continued, aru...
Author's note: I always refer to Ukraine as Anya, not Ekaterina. My friends tell me it doesn't suit but personally I don't really care, I think it suits her perfectly.