Chapter 8

Ridina's Message

("My name is Ridina Edelstein and I'm here to talk to Joshua, the man my half-brother wants to be his")

Well…its good that we got two things out of the way in that statement: The person's name…and apparently Roderich's intentions!

The statement that the young lady made just about froze the room in time! It was as if everyone that stood in that room at that point in time couldn't say or do anything let alone move. It was a statement that rocked the house and the group speechless for a good little bit. When they finally DID start speaking again Joshua was the first to open his beak.

"Let me first say Ms. Edelstein that it's a pleasure to meet you. I am the first to admit that I didn't know Roderich had a sister/half-sister. I was under the initial impression as I'm sure Hungary here was that Austria was an only child." Joshua explained calmly and as he gauged the expression on Ridina's face it went from that of intensity to that of…it was either compassion, sympathy or an outright sucker job so that she could "hit him where it hurts" in a minute. The interesting thing was he was pretty much wrong on ALL accounts!

"I'm glad to see that where you are from Mr. Curtis that they teach you respect and courtesy but you do not have to use the 'Ms.' Prefix with me for the rest of our conversations. I've been aware of my brother's dealings with you over the past month or so and I think I have a good grasp on your respect level to my brother. For that I commend you and you can just address me as Ridina during the rest of this conversation and any future ones we have. Is that alright?" The younger Austrian asked and Josh nodded in response.

"Now I know that you are probably wondering why I'm here as Hungary asked already correct?" Ridina asked and Josh again nodded. This lead the young girl to explain it…sort of! "Joshua I'm here because I wanted to meet the man that my brother appears to have fallen for. I have to admit that when I heard about you didn't seem like the type of person my brother would go for…no offense intended but even he said this to me in a conversation after the world meeting." Ridina explained and Hungary looked at Roderich like she was ready to bow up. Joshua held her back as the sister continued.

"You didn't seem like the type…at the time but as my brother got to know you during your time when he had to help you with your assignment he told me something interesting. Do you want to know what it was Josh?" Ridina asked and again Josh just shook his head. "He said 'I need that gentleman in my life. There's something he has that I can't that I want to feel' and when I asked him what it was he said simply 'I want to feel love'." She finished and Joshua's jaw just about bounced off the floor. Remember that silence that first came when they first met? Well it returned but mainly because Joshua was trying to process just what in the hell she was saying!

"Ridina" Joshua began "Let me start by saying that I appreciate you telling me this…however due to the nature of this information and the gravity it holds I might need to take a day or two to let it sink in and just…figure some stuff out. One thing I will tell you upfront is I consider Roderich a friend already. We might not have spent a great deal of time together but I do consider him a friend and the fact that he and Hungary have welcomed me here I am grateful for. I DO NOT want the decision I make based off the information you just gave me to jeopardize that. Is that alright with you?" Joshua asked respectfully and she nodded. Ridina knew the situation Joshua was going to be facing one way or the other and she also knew that in this case her brother would have the patience of a saint. The question became now "What would Joshua's answer be?"

A few days later and it was after school again for Joshua that he got a visitor at his home. Of course it happened to be Ridina and he knew it was about the situation. The interesting thing was she wasn't coming to ask for his answer because she knew that would take time but this was more for his on informational purposes about her brother. As she came into the kitchen Joshua put a cup of tea down in her place at the table and she smiled as she accepted it before speaking.

"Before you say anything I'm not here for any kind of answer because that takes time. What I actually want to know is what do you know about my brother's medical situation?" She asked and Joshua told him what Austria told him when they went out. Ridina knew that there was some stuff missing so she decided to fill in the blank for him.

"Joshua my brother has a medical condition which causes him to get really bad spells and could, if not treated, make him seize up like the engine of a car. Don't get me wrong Josh he's a smart guy and good person but as a result of the accident he started having these problems and he takes medication for it but even so every so often when he gets up and walks around Hungary has called me and told me that he has had a bad dizzy spell and it puts him in bed sometimes for a good portion of the day. It's a shame because my brother will tell you that he doesn't like to be in bed all day…and he doesn't. Yes he's a hermit and he works on the piano a lot but its something he honestly loves. If he didn't have that I shudder to think what he'd do with his life." Ridina explained and Joshua now understood how serious (and dire) it was for him. While he told her he was still going to take his time with his decision he did say that he would go visit Roderich a lot more to make sure he was alright. Maybe that would be step one to getting things better for him and maybe making his body, mind and heart stronger. As Joshua pondered that he carefully worded his reply to his new friend.

"Ridina" Joshua began "I appreciate you telling me all of this about your brother. I only knew about the accident and I didn't know there was more to it than just his eyesight. I understand the severity of his illness and I also know that he wants to be able to walk around and be able to go play his piano even if its just for him. With that being said I'll make sure to come check on him every couple of days or the weekends at least because I do have a job to do." Joshua explained and Ridina understood that completely and even told Joshua that she wasn't asking for him to give up his job as a teacher but more just try and check on him to see if he needed anything or whatnot. While Ridina knew about Hungary her biggest concern was what would happen if she wasn't there. Prussia is a bit of a pest at time and there aren't many countries that honestly visit him because of his…"outcast" status or whatever term you wanna use so they needed some way to keep tabs. Joshua agreed to be that man but also told her that there was also a bunch of other people he wanted to get to know too and she was fine with that. As she finished her tea she got up and hugged her new friend before leaving for the day.

As night came Joshua decided to give Prussia a call and his albino friend was happy to hear his voice. "Hello Joshua. How are things with you today?" He asked and Josh was glad to not have a somber tone on the other end of his phone. "Oh just fine Gil my man. I had a pretty interesting day today as Ridina came over to talk to me some more about her brother and she had some information for me today that was pretty heavy." Josh explained to Gilbert and when he explained what she told him Prussia honestly felt bad. It wasn't one of those things that you can just brush off and be all happy go lucky but Gilbert's statement after processing was one that kind of took Josh by surprise. "No wonder Roddy is happy to have you as a friend Josh. I'm lucky to have met you too but I think Austria is really going to need you soon. I know that you said you need time to sort some stuff out and you should but the fact remains that he needs a support system of people that legitimately care about him and I think you know or at the very least are starting to realize how important it is that you make the right decision here." Gilbert told Joshua and the teacher from America nodded before trying to get the conversation back to a lighter tone.

"Speaking of Hungary…you try talking to her again?" Joshua asked as he knew his friend was actually trying to make right all his past evil deeds against her. Gilbert told her that he hadn't but it was mainly because of the lessons that Josh had and this event that he and Roderich planned was pretty much on the down low. Josh understood that but told him that he really should try again in the future. She's really not that bad a girl…just got a temper like Belarus but Russia was gonna have to tell him about that situation. That got Gilbert laughing and as the two friends hung up Joshua now had a new purpose in life but he also had so many more adventures waiting for him too!

Which one's first?