Disclaimer thingy: I've actually not seen all of the Hetalia episodes, believe it or not. I have done lots of research on them, so that is how I know about their personalities a bit (I sound like a stalker. Hehehuhehe…), I've only seen Hetalia: Paint it White and the first two seasons, and that was before I began writing this (I just watched the second season for the first time today, and the first season for the first time yesterday), so there is NO WAY I can own them :P
"This place is really neat!" Victorea said with a smile. "So vintage!"
The little café was about thirty minutes away (by foot), so Alfred complained throughout the entire trip, with Arthur's eye twitching and Peter telling stories about home to Matthew and Victorea. But the trip was pleasant, and the café itself wasn't bad, either.
It was a small building on a hill, kind of in the middle of nowhere, seeing as there weren't any other buildings nearby. It appeared small, with dark wood walls and a white-slated roof and a chimney smoking, it appeared strange. But there were many windows that peeked inside, and it had the most wonderful view of the purple mountains and lush greenery. It almost looked like a scene from a movie.
They went inside, Arthur practically holding Alfred back from bolting into the kitchen and eating everything. The inside was a hallway that led to one large room, set up with many tables with candle lanterns on each one, a white tablecloth, and fancy salt and pepper shakers. The walls were the same color on the inside as they were on the outside, but there was a brick fireplace that forged a half wall in the middle of the room, and its fire burned brightly. The kitchen doors looked like any normal doors in the hallway, as did the bathrooms, but there were signs hand-painted beautifully on each one that labeled them. The curtains for the windows were lovely as well, a white frilly cloth that was pulled back to let in the sunlight, matching the tables. And a large glass chandelier hung on the ceiling, giving the perfect mix of natural and artificial light. There were shelves with small, old knick-knacks, old china, and other small things that appeared insignificant and ancient, and a grandfather clock. The soft maroon carpet seemed to make everything blend wonderfully.
A cheerful looking man awaited them at the end of the hallway, which had many pictures of the store in its past. It looked like it was really popular at one point. But now, in this large space, there were only a few couples here and there, a family of four, and an old man sitting at a table for one. The waiter beamed at the compliment, his eyes being forced shut at the extent of his smile. "Why, gratzi [1], belle."
He's Italian? Nice. But he looked familiar. "Do I know you from somewhere, sir?" She asked politely, but the curiosity was burning her skull.
He had brown hair that was slightly shaggy, not to the extent of Arthur's, of course, as it seemed curlier, but it still had a familiar brown tint. As did his brown eyes, and that smile…
"No, mio caro [2], I'm afraid I have not had the luxury of meeting such-a beautiful-a woman, like yourself." He winked. Then he noticed the boys. "Ah, i miei piccoli amici! [3] How are we-a today?"
Peter squeaked a 'good', and Arthur whispered to Victorea, "Don't worry, this is Grandpa Rome. He is Feliciano and Romano's father."
"Really? So that's how I know him!" Victorea snapped her fingers. "Man, that was going to kill me!"
Grandpa Rome led them to their table, a nice spot with a good view of the mountains, and said he would be right back. Each one took a seat in the three-seater chair, the twins sitting together on one side, and Arthur in between Victorea and Peter. Victorea looked around a bit, and then asked, "So are Feliciano and Romano here, then?"
Matthew and Arthur shrugged simultaneously. Matthew said in his usual hushed tone, "They usually work here when they aren't at school, so we might get them as waiters."
"Neat!" Peter smiled. Then looked to Arthur and said, "Who are they?"
Matthew and Victorea laughed. Arthur shook his head. "Other students at my school."
Peter made an 'o' shape with his mouth. Victorea giggled, and as Arthur raised an eyebrow, she pointed to Alfred, who was so absorbed in the menu that it was literally touching his nose, his eyes scanning the paper quickly. "I didn't know that he had that bad of vision," she said, stifling another giggle.
Alfred nodded once, and passed the menu to Matthew. "No, I'm not that bad, I just need to analyze what I want to order properly." He said this as if it were something to be proud of.
Arthur snorted. "Analyze…That's a big word for you, isn't it?"
Alfred stuck his tongue out, and Mattie swatted him with the menu before passing it along to Peter and Arthur, who looked at it at the same time.
"So how is homeschool going, Peter?" Matthew asked softly.
Peter shrugged, not taking his eyes off of the menu as he said, "It's good. A bit boring, considering I only get to see my friends again when we meet up in town, but Mum is a really good teacher."
Victorea peeked over at him. "Homeschooled? Why are you the only one that is homeschooled?"
Peter and Arthur nodded at once, seeming to make a soundless decision, and Arthur passed the menu to her. Peter laughed. "Well, I got in trouble a lot, I guess. Besides, I didn't like school, anyway."
Arthur rolled his eyes. "He was always sneaking into teacher's meetings, and he always knew when they were having a test, so he would tell all of the other students what it was on, and he would always get caught." He raised a thick eyebrow at Peter, who raised his thick eyebrow challengingly back. "Mum didn't want him to get into any more trouble, so she decided to homeschool him."
"A troublemaker, eh?" Victorea snickered. "I never would have guessed."
"Nobody can because of my small size and adorable face," Peter pointed to his cheeks and gave a huge smile. "See?"
Arthur laughed sarcastically. "Yes, because you are just too adorable to resist."
"Well, it's about time you agreed," Peter poked him. Arthur and Peter bickered a little bit after that, with Victorea and Mattie listening intently, occasionally passing glances with an amused smirk, and Alfred was impatiently waiting for a waiter to arrive, checking over his shoulder and over Matthew's shoulder for anyone.
Victorea was so absorbed in their bickering that she did not realize who came up behind her.
"Bella~! It's so-a good to see you again! Vee~!" A familiar cheery voice chirped and arms wrapped around her shoulders. She jumped and screamed a little (not too loudly, though), only relaxing when she realized who it was.
"Good gracious, Feli. You almost gave me a heart attack." She patted his hands. "It's good to see you, too."
He let go of his embrace, and she noted that she was getting strange stares from three of the four boys (a particular American was jumping up and down in his seat, excited that their waiter finally arrived. "So, do you-a like my Grandpa's ristorante? [4]"
Victorea smiled. "I love it. It's really pretty."
Feliciano smiled and bounced a little, his eyes shut with the force of his smile (it's a wonder how Victorea didn't notice the resemblance to his father earlier). "Grazi, [1], bella!" He pulled out a pen and paper from his black shirt pockets. His pants matched the shirt, and his shoes were black as well, with a white bowtie. Must be a uniform. "So, what-a can I get you today?
They ordered their drinks, the twins getting a coke, Peter getting a chocolate milk, Arthur getting some Earl Grey tea, and Victorea getting a lemonade. Feli thanked them and ran off into the kitchen.
Victorea shook her head after him. "He really is something, isn't he?"
Matthew chuckled. "Couldn't have worded it any better, eh?" Alfred and Peter nodded, but Arthur felt a little hurt by those words for some reason. Jealousy? I thought I was over that!
Victorea smiled back at Alfred. "So did your analyzing come up with something good?"
Alfred nodded vigorously. "Yep! I'm gonna get the pizza! If they only had burgers…" he trailed off, seeming lost in thought. Only he would get emotional about beef on a bun. Mattie rolled his eyes at his twin. "But their food is really good here! I've never had anything like it!"
Victorea smiled and nodded. "Are the stuffed meatballs any good?"
"Absolutely," said Arthur. "That's what I'm getting."
"Alright, then I'll try that. I love trying new things," Victorea said with a smile.
They chatted a bit, and when their peppy Italian friend came back, they all ordered what they wanted, chatting with Feli for a bit once he gave the food order to the cook (who was Grandpa Rome himself, along with Feli, who was allowed on break).
"So how has your weekend been going?" Victorea politely asked Feliciano, who sat next to Matthew now.
He continued to smile as he said, "It's been-a going wonderful! We don't usually get too-a many customers, and yesterday we got nobody, so Grandpa Rome, Romano and I went out for a walk! It was-a really nice! Vee~! How has your weekend been-a going?"
Victorea smiled back and nodded. "Really well. I haven't had this much fun in a long time. We talked all night long, and Matthew made pancakes, and we went out to the park…It was wonderful."
"You-a had a slumber party?" Feli asked, appearing shocked. "I'm-a surprised that Alfred's father would agree to that, as pretty a belle as you are."
Victorea giggled. "Jeez, what's with all of the compliments recently? And I kinda got caught under some…" she cleared her throat, "Uh, some…difficult circumstances back at the orphanage, so, uh…Yep. So I came to their house. I'm going to be there all of today and tomorrow, too."
Feliciano looked concerned for his friend, but smiled and nodded nonetheless. He was really a good person, even if he was a little ditzy and a flirt. "Well, I'm-a glad you are having fun! It's always good to have fun, right?"
Victorea laughed at the question. "Well, of course!"
They chatted for a bit about simple things, like the weather and whatnot, before Feli had to go back to work. He did so with a smile and a wave, saying a quick 'see you'. Not long afterwards, Victorea's food arrived.
"Wow, this stuff is amazing!" Victorea smiled as she delicately swallowed her small portion. "You work magic!"
Grandpa Rome smiled. He was the one that gave them their food, which is a little strange, considering their waiter was Feli, but it wasn't unusual for them to be a bit…Unorganized. "Well, a-thank you, belle. We appreciate any compliments given," he said with a wink. "I hope you enjoy the rest of your day. You can leave the bill here on the table when you are done."
So the group of five ate happily, with Alfred finishing his food before anyone else could even swallow their third bite (not kidding), and chatting between mouthfuls of their delicious food. And once each one of them were full, they paid the bill (giving a large tip, as Arthur always did when they went there), and walked home, content.
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
Woo, that was a fast chappie. Sorry, I just had to get another one in before I leave to Disney World. I will see how far I get into the next one, but if I can't finish it until I leave, then I can't finish it.
That's life, people.
God, my typing has given me a blister on my wrist. I keep rubbing it against the laptop when I type.
Also, sorry that these chapters are so short. I have a difficult time, because my determination comes and goes, and because I have only gotten a few reviews (like three), I really think that I am losing it a bit. But I will continue anyway, even if I'm dragging my feet. I really am pleased with the plot and how it will turn out (again thanks to Air ROD), and I'm still looking out for some other suggestions! Preferably something you would want to see in a 'Lazy Day' chapter. I haven't posted any of those yet because Victorea at their house is really not something that is considered a 'Lazy Day,' because…Well, you'll see why. If you want to see any character in specific (Greece, Romano, Prussia, Denmark, Japan, Russia, or any other ones) I will gladly take up your offer. I would really like to hear what you want to see! (Romantic pairings are an option, too)
Alfred: You better put me in with a hot chick and not a dude, or so help me god…
Me: Put the cheese grater down, Alfie.
TRANSLATIONS:
[1] Gratzi – thank you
[2] Mio caro – my dear
[3] I miei piccolo amici! – My little friends!
[4] Ristorante – restaurant (that should be fairly obvious)
~Dreampainter