I Own Nothing


"I'll wash," Henrich said, picking up the dirty plates.
"Henrich, wanna fight after your done?" Alice asked.
"Sure," Henrich replied.

"No, you always clean up. Go do something." Cali whined, taking the dishes from
him before pushing Henrich from the kitchen.

"But," Henrich started, but was cut off.
"Come on bro, Her Royal Goldeness has spoken," Alice said, "You got your weapon, right?"
"I have got to see these two go head to head," Prussia said, following the two as the headed outside.

"Her Royal Goldeness.." Cali snickered, no one had ever called her that
before. Grinning, she took out the dish soap as a sink began to fill with
hot water. `Sure i wanted to give him a break, but i also wanted to play with
the bubbles~` She tought happily to her self as the soap was added.

"Kay, you ready?" Alice asked, twirling her double bladed sword.
"Alice, are you sure about this?" Henrich asked, spinning his iron spear like a baton.
"Go!" Alice said, launching herself at Henrich.
He blocked it and shoved her to the side. Alice was back on her feet, intricately throwing stabs and jabs. Henrich tried blocking and dodging, but a few ended up cutting him. He did three backflips away from his sister, and pushed the hidden button on the spear. It quickly turned into an iron whip with a spearpoint at the end. He lashed out, grabbing Alice's ankle. She let herself be dragged, and thrusted out when Henrich was in the distance of her sword. Henrich dodged and retracted his whip back to a spear. Alice had placed her sword near Henrich's throat, and Henrich had his spear's head above her heart.

Cali giggled as she watched the two, having finished the dishes in time
to see the end of their fight. She had decided to take a few bubbles with
her outside and now they were tickling her.

"Hey Cal," Alice called, tying her hair back. Both Henrich and he where preparing for round two.
"Hey Cali" Henrich called," Ready?"
"Go!" Alice called, twirling her sword from the middle as she ran towardshim. Henrich lashed ou with his whip, missing. Alice grabbed hold of the whip and pulled, Henrich, refusing to let go, ended up getting pulled forward. He recovered with a forwardroll and log rolled out of the way as his sisters foot came crashing down.

The bubbles gone, Cali was able to focus on the fight, but that only lasted
until she caught sight of Cloud. Now Cloud wasn`t lazy, just severly under
motivated, so seeing him bounding around like an over grown puppy
really caught her attention. "What the hell..?" She mumbled as she watched
her dog spazz out, the other animals made nervous noises before shying
away into the barn again, some dogs choosing to follow while others
decided to wander off. Cloud continued on until Blue cuffed him and dragged
him to the side. "Oh! So he`s back!"

Henrich looked up when Cali had spoken. Alice kicked him in the chest, sending his flying. The two had deserted their weapons for hand-to-hand combat. "Who's back?" Alice asked.

"My own personal stalker~" Cali cooed, watching as a mountain lion
came out from the trees and made his way over. "This is One-eye, cuz
he has only one eye~" She said, watching the cat`s fur rise at the others
but determidly continued toward her. "He`s the one who found me, i guess
my papa before Dad~"

Henrich looked up and waved. "Hey One-eye," Henrich called.
"You were raised by a mountain lion?" Alice asked, "Sweet."
"Awesome," Prussia agreed.

"Not technically, he dropped me off with a nomadic tribe, but he followed
me everywhere. He`s grumpy and moody, but he does care about me, he
lost his eye protecting me from a mama bear when i was small." Cali said,
as she hugged the cat when he finally reached her. "One-eye`s kinda the
only one that pushes Blue around, because he is superior or something.
Come here, i`m sure he`ll let you pet him."

"Um, no thanks," Alice said, "I don't pet animals or people whom I respect. And I somehow already have a lot of respect for him."
"Gilbird gets freaked out," Prussia sighed, pointing to the fearful bird on his head.
"Is that a moutain lion?" Germany asked, coming out, "And are you on the floor again Henrich?"
"Thd grass is comfy," Henrich replied defensively.

"Mmmhmm, he`s One-eye." Cali said, nuzzling the large cat`s fur. "I believe
he`s, like the spirit of my land. He always knows exactly when we cross
the border."

"Oh," Germany replied.
"Hey! Like Freiheit!" Prussia said excitedly.
"He died though," Alice reminded.

"I wonder why he`s here though, he hardly visits now..ack!" Cali cried,
as the cat pushed her softly before starting to clean her. "Stop! That tickles!"
She laughed, wiggling under the cat`s large paw that pinned her down.
One-eye snorted and flicked his ear before pulling her up again.

"Hm. Something could be wrong." Alice suggested.
"Or he just wanted to see you." Prussia offered.
Germany's phone started ringing, an Italian song playing.
"Ja? Italien?" Germany answered, walking aways a bit.

"Maybe.." She mumbled looking at the big cat. One-eye stared at
her before flicking his tail against her nose.

"Henrich!"
Henrich looked over towhere Germany was and ran over.
"Wonder why West looks **,," Prussia mumbled.
"So is One-eye the cougar you told us my West had a run in with?" Alice asked.

"Mmmhmm~ We were wrestling at the time and One-eye
thought we were really fighting so~" Cali said, rubbing
the cat's ears.

"Poor Hen," Prussia mumbled.

"Don`t worry, Blue tackled One-eye before he could do more then startle
Richie with his roar...Blue really does like Richie, just has his own round
about way of showing it..i think he`s socially awkward..." Cali said, sqinting
at said dog in the distance.

"Like Henrich!" Alice giggled.
"Ich werde dich töten, dass das italienische Bastard!" came Henrich's enraged scream.
"Uh-oh." Prussia mumbled, watching as Henrich marched furiously toward Alice.
"Schwester, we's going to Italy," he growled.
"Why?" Alice asked, confused.
"Because Romano thinks for some unknown reason that he can just bump up taxes on our trade," Henrich growled, "OUR trade. Not the whole German-Italian Trade, no, just any trade going toward Berlin."
"WHAT?" Alice screeched, "And Veneziano allowed this?"
"Ja. Let's go!" Henrich snapped, "PreuBen, you coming?"
"J-Ja," Prussia stammered, "Er, w-would you like to come Cal?"

"Sure, I`m taking Jay though. One-eye, try not to antagonise Blue too much."
Cali said, moving to pick up her cat that had just appeared. One-eye heaved
a long suffering sigh before going over toward the dogs, rubbing against
Henrich to offer brief comfort.

"Thanks," Henrich murmured, scratching One-eye's head, "I'll take care of Cal for you."
"Let's go," Germany ordered, "The plane is waiting & Drake is already in."
One by one, they climbed in, Germany and Alice flying the plane.

"...get the feeling we`re fogetting something..?" Cali asked, before shrugging
and continuing to pet her purring cat. "You can`t wander too much, i don`t
wanna lose you ok?" She asked, her cat giving a drawling mewl in reply.

"Yeah, Hungary already left." Prussia reminded her.
"Halfway there," Alice said, look down and you'll see the beginning of Spain."

"Really?" Cali asked, trying to peer behind Prussia to look out the window.
"That`s so cool!" Jay mewed irritably and squirmed out of her owner`s lap
to cling to her shoulder, at least she wouldn`t be squished there.

Ratchet meowed fom Drake's back, behind Cali and Prussia. There was plenty of room. Ratchet motioned to the spot next to himself, as if offering.

Jay mewled happily, climbing into the offered spot, licking Ratchet in thanks.
She loved her owner, but sometimes she was a bit much. Cali paused to look
back, giving the three a pet before turning back. "So...milk or dark chocolate?"
She asked, tired of the silence.

"Milk," Prussia & Alice answered.
"Dark," Germany replied.
"Both," Henrich said, "And you?"

"I eat milk all the time, i like dark but it`s more of a delecacy. White is the
dest though. I love choco-bunnies, edible cuteness~ Like peeps~" Cali cooed.

"Chinese or Japanese food?" Alice asked, "I like Chinese."
"Is there even a difference?" Henrich inquired.
"Major," Germany said, "Japanese."
"Chinese," Prussia said, "More spices than Japanese."
"Japanese I guess," Henrich replied, "Cali?"

Cali shrugged, "I would be able to fairly judge, i`ve never had japanese
food and rarely chinese. What kind of ice cream?"

"Vanilla," Germany said
"Chocolate," Prussia replied.
"Strawberry," Alice said.
"Rocky Road," Henrich said, "That or all three."

"..If there are seven birds in a tree and a hunter shoots one, how many
birds are left in the tree?" Cali asked.

"Six," all of them answered.
"Two duck in front of a duck. Two ducks behind a duck. How many are there?" Alice questioned.

Cali giggled, "Wrong~ When the hunter shoot the bird down, the rest
fly away, so no more birdies in the tree~ ...hmm i`m thinking five, but those
are usually a lot simpler then that so...three! Ooh, a man rides into town
on Friday, stays two days and leaves on Friday. How`d he do it?"

"Ah~But what if the birds are deaf!" Prussia said.
"The horse's name is Friday," Germany says.
"Correct" Alice said.
"I got a good one," Henrich said, "There's a farmer who has to get a rabbit a dog and a box of carrots across a huge river. His boat is big enough for only himself and one other. If he leaves the dog and rabbit together, the dog will kill the rabbit. If he leaves the rabbit and carrots together, the rabbit will eat the carrots. How does he get all three across?"

Cali shrugged, "Then how would they be alive long enough to be shootable? Why not leave the dog and the carrots?...i don't really think that's right though...How bout...a guy walks into a bar and asks for a cup of water, the bartender pulls out a shotgun and points it at the man. The man says thanks and leaves the bar, why?"

"Nope, he has to get all three across," Henrich said, "The answer's complicated. Try again."
"Freaky dude," Alice mumbled, I got no idea."

"He could...build a bridge...or ask for help! What about the rest of you? Any idea's why he'd thank the bartender?" Cali asked.

"Cuz he shot him & went to Water Heaven!" Prussia said, "Mein Gott you two are two smart for your own good!"
"Wanna swap answers?" Henrich asked, laughing at his brother's outburst.

"Sure. The dude had the hiccups, so trying to get rid of them he asked for water. And the bartender, being helpful, pointed a gun at him to scare the hiccups away!" Cali cheered. "...what's water heaven? Is that for, like, fish or something?"

"Ja," Prussia replied.
"The man took the rabbit across first. He went back for the dog and swapped it for the rabbit. He took the rabbit back to the start and swapped it for the carrots. He left the carrots with the dog. He went to the beginning again for the rabbit and got all three across," Henrich answered smugly.
"Complicated," Germany mused, "We're landing."

Cali sniffed, "At least all those carnival goldfish get a happy ending.."

"Yup," Prussia said, "They also got a heaven for everything."
"Buckle up " Alice called, "Looks like their runways haven't been used since WW2."
"I guess we're landing on their air foce runways." Henrich said, buckling the animals first before himself.
"Ja," Germany replied.

Cali blinked and looked down at her buckled buckle, "Dad says that buckling up
is the first thing you do in any sort of vehicle...Even if your just going
down the street.."

"Smart man," Alice mused, earning herself stares from her family, "WHAT?"
"Dating him destroyed your mentality," Prussia scoffed.
As the plane started to land, things got bumpier.

Cali smiled, "I think it`s sound advice, he only really cracked down on that
as a rule when Oreo got into a car crash and was in the hospital for most
of the year..."

"Ouch," Prussia mumbled.
The plane slowly came to a stop, and everyone started undoing their belts.
"Come on, Romano and Italy are waiting," Germany said, getting out.

"That was good though, he started drafting medical reforms after that. And, guess Oreo served as an example, none of us have been injured in a crash since." Cali said, picking Jay up before following after the others.
"He didn't have that before?" Germany asked
"Shut up West, we didn't have those either." Prussia mumbled, "We got them after the WW1."

"There was, but only to a certain extent. It was better after, more support for the lower class, so they wouldn't be turned away just because they couldn't pay." She replied, placing her cat on her head, just for the sake of something diferent.

"Oh," Germany mused, "Well, here we are."
It was a nice medium sized villa with 2 floors and what seemed to be an attic. It was a tan color with a red front door and brick colored roof.
"Classy," Alice said, looking at the small tomato patch with a sign that said, 'Proprietà di Romano. Toccare e morire.'
"Property of Romano. Touch and die," Henrich translated, "Wonderful."

"Anyone else have a sudden desire to touch..?" Cali mumbled wandering closer, until Jay hissed and scratched her. "Ow! Fine! It's not even that interesting! Corn is way better!" She whined, peeling her cat's paws from her skin. "Corn can make so much better things.."

"OI! Can't you read?" Romano snapped as he exited the house, looking angry with his glaring eyes, crossed arms, and leaning on his left foot.
"It's in Italian," Henrich defended.
"Don't matter!" Romano snapped, "Your in Italy. Learn Italian Potato Bastard Jr!"
"Roma! Chill!" Alice snapped, placing her hands on her hips, "Cal didn't touch your tomatoes!"
Romano humfed, but actually listened to the girl.

"Heya Romano! Have you been well? Sorry for causing this problem, your tomatoes looked delectable, they were practically begging for a closer look. They're very plump and red, how do you grow them so well? I've never seen any as good looking as them." Cali said, smiling up at the itatian innocently, eyes widening ever so slightly as she tilted her head, Jay mewing her agreement.

"Hphf. I pride myself in being a better gardener than Veneziano," Romano replied, puffing out his chest in pride, "My tomatoes are the best in all of Europe! Better than Tomato Bastard's even!"
"Better than Spain might be overboard Roma," Alice said, "But you ARE defiantly better than Veneziano in agriculture."
Romano smirked pridefully and bent down to his tomato patch. He carefully plucked three and walked over to them.
"Here," Roma said, handing one plump tomato to Cali and Alice.
"Gratzie Roma," Alice thanked.
Henrich mumbled profanities in German under his breath as his sister and Romano made small talk in Italian.
"Italians," Prussia sighed.

"He`s not mad anymore~" Cali whispered softly to the male germans,
"Happy people are easier to bargin with~" Taking a bite she gasped, "There
is no way Spain is better! This tomato if f*cking amazing!"

Romano smirked proudly. "American tomatoes have nothing on my babies!" Romano huffed, "Sprayed with pesticide and such. It's a wonder you haven't poisoned yourselves yet! No, these Tomatoes are all natural. I worked to keep bugs and other such away!"
"Hmm. Good harvest this year Roma," Alice commented, "Now let's talk trade."

Cali hummed happily as she slowly continued eating the tomato, "So
good~ Mmm...can i have another, please~"

Romano nodded and carefully plucked another.
"Here, let's go inside," Romano said, "But be quiet! My Fratello is taking a siesta."
"Bout time," Henrich grumbled, following Romano in.

"Thank you~" Cali mumbled, smacking Henrich`s head lightly and muttering
"Be nice, being other wise wont help you now."

"Alright, putting it simple, Italy needs money," Romano said, "Spain and the others have no problem with the raise of taxes."
"Yeah but they're better off than East Berlin," Henrich snapped back furiously, "If you don't remember, you ** tratior, that East Berlin was destroyed by Russian influence!"
"I'd rather watch Potato Bastard suffer than my Fratello!" Romano hissed.
"And I'd rather see Feliciano suffer than my schwester!" Henrich growled.
"Woah! Calm down." Prussia said.

Cali bit the tomato and gave Henrich a hug to try and calm him a bit,
"Sometimes, two opposing sides are able to co-exist and strengthen by
simbiosis. A continuation in tax raises will deture buyers, how will that
help your economy prosper?"

"Our streets will be safer," Romano said, "The mafia more under control, our government less...French."
"Oh, you mean the Pope molesting that little boy?" Henrich said smugly.
Romano scowled, blushing furiously.
"While that happens, Berlin's economy will fall," Germany said sternly, "I may get a slight cold, but Henrich will develop a fever and Alice a sever cold."
Romano looked surprised, and disgusted.
"I-I didn't know," Romao whispered, "I'm sorry."

Cali moved to stand beside Prussia, "What now?" she mumbled to the
other, unsure of what to do knowing she`d not be needed.

"Wait," Prussia whispered, "This seems almost too easy. I'm waiting for the bad part."
"As much as I don't want to harm Alice or Henrich, I can't take the taxes back." Romano sighed, "My Boss is forcing it."
"Gottdamn Bosses!" Henrich screamed, slamming his fist on the table.
"Henrich!" Alice snapped, worried about her brothers anger.
"You can try calming him," Germany whispered to Cal.

"Richie stop. Pause and think, you're supposed to be smart, getting angry now will be no help. At least it will irritate the host and at most blow up in your face. Romano, is there any particular reason why Berlin is targeted for tax raises?" Cali asked, nudging Henrich's side lightly as Jay crossed shoulders to purr continually into his ear.

"Boss hates Germans more than me," Romano mumbled, "What better way to cripple them than through the Heart."
Henrich let out and angry sigh and slumped in his seat. He reached to his shoulder to pet Jay.

Cali mentally moaned, 'I hate politics..' She looked down slightly and bit her thumb in thought, "That is an effective stratigy, but unwise all the same. Unrest, discontent and anger from a nation's heart can be easily spread, pulsating steadly outward until the nation itself is consumed by that singular mind set, then that's when war usually comes into play." She said, still bitting her thumb.

"Okay, so we get our Boss to talk with your Boss?" Germany asked.
"Would you rather talk with my Fratello Potato Bastard?" Romano challenged.
"No because we get nothing done that way," Alice sighed, "A Summit would do nothing either since you Nationd never get anything done."
"Hey!" Germany said defensively.
"We'll talk to our states and cities and call a Capital Meeting," Henrich sighed, "If Rome or Vince or even Naples home by chance?"
"Naples is in her room with her cat," Romano said gruffly, "Let me get her. Rome is with Tokyo."
"Aw~Half the Axis Capitals are together," Alice whinned.

Cali snapped her finger, "Oh sh*t i knew i forgot something..well, at least
i remembered...Theres a state meeting is D.C. next week.." She mumbled,
taking Jay back to nuzzle her, "Why didn`t you remind me~" Cali whined
into the cat`s fur, getting a stern meow in return, "So? You still coulda
hinted at something, D.C. hung me by me anckle last time i forgot.."

"Better get to Germany and talk to Baden-Württemberg and everyone else," Alice said, "I'll talk to Naples."
"Kay, come on PreuBen." Henrich sighed, "Cal, wanna come and meet the whole German Family?"
"Gott. Hessen is gunna kill me," Prussia grumbled.

Cali blinked, "Sure! B-but...uh...c-can i get another tomato?"

"Sure," Romano said, going into the kitchen and getting a other one. When hd came back he gave it to Cali.
"Let's go," Henrich said, "I already called them together, and Saxony doesn't like to be kept waiting."

"Thank you! Bye Romano, it was nice to see you again even if the circumstances
weren`t so pleasant! I`ll see you when ever, but be warned i`ll probably
ask for more tomatoes~" Cali said, giving Romano a hug and kiss before
going outside. "Richie, are you older or younger then the rest?"

"Hs's the Baby," Prussia said, smirking, "Alice is the big Mutti of all."
"Yeah, I'm the youngest and Alice is oldest," Henrich agreed, "Ironic that we're both Berlin. Anyway, all my other siblings came after."
Henrich climbed into co-pilot and Prussia sat in pilot. Drake and Ratchet looked up from the back.

Cali hummed as she nibbled on the tomato, while not as good as corn,
it was on par with carrots and just below potatoes and watermelon. "I`m
almost the oldest...sorta. It`s kinda wierd, we were tribes first so in that
way i`m like the fourth oldest. But with colonization, we were dragged back
age wise and grown into something else, and given a `proper` birthday
when we officially became a state, that way i`m way down the line. That
seriously sucked, you don`t wanna go through puberty more then once,
and hardly even then! Who the hell apreciates stomach pains and exess
blood flowing out of you!" She growled, working herself into a rant of
female body functions. "Why does it have to come from there anyways!
I`d rather throw up blood then that!"

"Oh good Gott," Henrich mumbled, wishing he could cover his ears.
"Couldn't have been worse than Alice's first period," Prussia said, completely okay with the subject, "Poor girl was out on a crusade when it happened. SURROUNDED by men. They brought her back saying she was dying. Scared the ** outta me. The Wise Woman just laughed and taught Alice what it meant. But the poor girl was freaked out. Whiter than normal and she thought she really was going to die. Good thing Hungary and Vienna came over and explained to more about Capital childbirth and periods and how it was different from human puberty."
"Gross," Henrich said.

Cali smiled, "I can relate, my first time was with Blue and my brother, they
had no idea what was going on...i was shocked that i bleeding from there
then terrified cuz Kansas was convinced that i was dying. He called a meeting
between all of us, but i was the eldest girl so that didn`t help, just made
everyone else panic. Then One-eye, bless that cat, he was smart enough
to get an older female and came back with Azie...she laughed for half an
hour, creeping us out completely cuz we were convinced i was dying, then
finally told what was happening. I think they`re all a bit scarred from that experiance.."

"I think Baden-Württemberg was the only girl who didn't freak out," Prussia said thoughtfully.
Henrich shuddered. "That girl scares me," Henrich said, "Was she even suppose to be born a girl?"
"Hey hey. Fritzi is a good girl," Prussia said defensively, "She just...took the info of being a female a little too harsh."
"Anyway, I see the Rhine," Henrich said, "We're almost home,"

"...i think i'm better off not knowing.." Cali mumbled starting to coo over and pet Jay until she purred. "Do you know the difference between stupidity and genius?"

"Depends. Stupidity comes in varieties and can be created. Geniuses are born and only come when needed," Henrich replied.
"We're landing," Prussia announced.

"Sure, not what i was thinking, i thought something along the lines of 'Only genius has limitations, for stupidity knows no bounds'~" Cali said.

Prussia smiled and quickly landed the plane.
"Now, when you see my family, dont freak out," Henrich said, "Baden-Württemberg and Hamburg can smell fear."
"Off," Prussia said, "And Hen, stop scaring the girl."

"That is kinda epic, think i could learn
too?" Cali asked.

"Who knows," Henrich said.
The house was a mansion near the edge of the famous Black Woods. It was large with four stories and two balconies. The front lawn was blocked off by a white picket fence. The door opened and a 15 year old girl with straight blond hair that reached her knees with straight blonde bangs that stopped just above her eyebrows and sapphire blue eyes and fair skin came out.
"Well lookie!" the girl said slyly, "Little Henrich FINALLY came home. Gunna run off to America or the woods again Hen?"
"Hello Baden-Württemberg," Henrich growled, "Still a ** I see."
"Fritzi, play nice," Prussia warned, "We got a guest."
"My bad Bruder," Fritzi said with fake sweetness, "Hello American looking girl...OH!" She suddenly smiled evilly.
"Got yourself a girl Hen?" she teased harshly.
"Shuttup!" Henrich snapped. Fritzi agreed darkly at him, making him cower slightly.
"Alice ain't here Baby Bruder," Fritzi warned darkly, "Watch it. Come on, everyone's waiting."

"Fritzi, was it? Names Calvin. Ya know,
you kinda remind me of someone~" Cali said.

"Pleasure," Fritzi said, glancing back at Cali, "Bruder, the Saxony triplets refuse to listen to command and Brandenburg thinks he's a pony. Fix it."
"I'm WEST Berlin, not East," Henrich replied, "Take it up with Alice."
"I'ma check on Holstein, he was sick right?" Prussia said.
"Sure," Fritzi said.
"Henwich!" Henrich turned to get tackled by a smaller 5 year old version of himself, but with shorter bangs and glasses.
"Mecklenburg!" Henrich laughed, "How've you been Adrian?"
"Good!" Adrian said happily, "Who's the pwetty lady?"

Cali squated to be eye-level with the kid, "Hey, i`m Calvin and this is Jay.
She`s really nice even though she can be stern, you wanna try petting her?"

Adrian smiled and tentivly reached out to pet Jay.
"Where's Alice?" three voices said at once.
Two girls and a boy walked up to Henrich. All three looked 12 with stotic faces. One girl had short blond hair in a V cut with baby blue eyes and cream skin. The other girl had curly shoulder length hair with light green eyes and peach skin. The boy had blond hair with silver bangs that covered his right eye. "Saxony-Anhalt," Henrich said, gesturing to the girl with short hair, "Lower Saxony," he guestured to the other girl, "and Saxony. Otherwise known as the Saxony Triplets."
"Pleased to meet you," Saxony said, "I'm Diedrich."
"I'm Ada," Lower Saxony said, "Pleased to meet you."
"I'm Anneliese," Saxony-Anhalt, "But call me Anne. Welcome."
"Guys this is Calvin Jones," Henrich introduced, "She's...-"
"American." A boy with striking very light, almost white, blue eyes and straight blond shoulder length hair and straight bangs that almost covered his eyes. He had fair skin and a stern face.
"Hamburg," Henrich said.
"I'm Klaus," Hamburg said, "Please stop feeling overwhelmed."

"You want to hold her? I think she likes you." Cali winked, letting Jay climb down from her shoulder before standing. "Hey, nice to meet you." she smiled.

Adrian happily accepted the cat, stroking Jay's fur.
"Cat," Klaus said emotionlessly, "Where's Alice?"
"I'm starting to realise egg I left," Henrich sighed, "She's with Naples. I assume-"
"Yes we've heard," Fritzi said impatiently, "Trade taxes will rise. We can't let our Eastern Siblings suffer!"
"We won't participate until Alice is here," Diedrich snapped.
"Alice is the one we want," Ada continued.
"Where's East Berlin?" Anneliese questioned.
"For **'s sake I don't know!" Henrich snapped, "We'll wait then!"
"Good," Fritzi snapped, "Cuz you ** me off. Now start running."
"** off!" Henrich snapped, standing his ground, "I'm sick of you beating the crap out of me everytime I come home!"
"Make them stop fighting," Adrian cried, clinging to Cali's leg ans tears fell down his face, "Please. Fwitzi is gunna huwt Henwich!"

"Hey, calm down, there`s a kid here. " Cali said, placing a hand on the child`s
head to calm him as the other wrenched Henrich back. "To help them as
much as posible, you two shouldn`t be fighting."

"Listen, Adrian's a big boy," Fritzi snapped, "Besides, the pipsqueak needs to learn respect."
"If Cal wasnt holding me back I'd kick your **!" Henrich screeched, "You Gottdamn WOMAN!"
Fritzi's eyes widened in hatred.
"TAKE THAT BACK!" she screamed, raising her fist and grabbing Henrich by his shirt.
"OI! You better not harm a hair on his head Fritzi!"
"Alice," Fritzi said fearfully, backing down. Alice walked in, her red eyes blazing.
"Hen, get the others," Alice ordered, "Fritzi, go to your room."
"But," Fritzi tried arguing.
"NOW!" Alice ordered. Fritzi glared at Henrich and left.
"You alright Hen?" Alice asked softly, smoothing her brother's shirt.
"Yeah," Henrich muttered darkly, "Sorry. And thanks."

"Your sister has a charming personality." Cali said, releasing Henrich
and picking up Adrian. "Ya know i got a little one like you at home. Her
name is Andy, i absolutely adore her. Wanna know a secret?" Cali whispered
to the child, Jay reclaiming a shoulder.

"Thanks," Alice laughed, "We try. She's a good girl, really."
"I'm gunna go find Brandenburg," Henrich announced, "I want his opinion on this."
"Get the others Hen!" Alice called after his retreating figure.
"What secwet?" Adrian asked excitedly, "I won't tell, pwomise!"
"Can you believe sweet Adrian is 4th oldest?" Alice said in a motherly fashion, "Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Adrian's full state name, is one of the larger states and older ones too. He was Prussian territory, but he always stayed this age."

"Good, `cuz i`d get in trouble for it. I think your more adorable then all
my little brothers and sisters~" Cali whispered before looking at Alice,
"Really? I`m the fourth olderst too! That`s odd, but not really unheard
of, Delaware `s never grown past six until maybe a few years ago. None
of us know the reason for it though."

Adrian giggled and nodded. "I'll keep quiet," he promised, "Wanna heaw secwet about my siblings? You gotta pwomise not to tell them!"
"Huh, I always wondered about that," Alice mused, "But yeah, Fritzi is 2nd and Klaus is 3rd."

"I promise!" Cali said, "It`s ..Kansas, Mississippi, Alaska, California, Hawaii,
New York, Rhode Island, Washington, Michigan, Arizona, Nevada, Oregon,
and on and on..D.C.`s the youngest, cuz he wasn`t alive until after the
Brits colonized and the thought of independance started to stur."

"They all pick on Henwich, but they all love his cooking!" Adrian giggled, "Even Fwitzi!"
"After Klaus it's the Saxon Triplets who take up 4th 5th & 6th. Then it's Bavaria, Brandenburg, Hesse, Bremen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate, Schleswig-Holstein, Thuringia, and Saarland then Henrich as the very last. There's 16 of us states. Berlin is counted as a state as well," Alice said.

"Mmm..Richie`s cooking is amazing~" Cali said happily. "I don`t really
remember all of them..There are fifty states, then the National capital and
now state capitals. So thats...over a hundred.." She said, trying to remember
if there were some who had more then one capital because of capital changes.
"Some states used to have more then one personification..i used to only
be Northern California and my twin was Southern California, mostly because
of drifts between the two."

"Huh? There was another California?" Alice asked, "Is he/she still alive?"
"Dwake!" Adrian said happily as he jumped out of Cali's arms to the dog who was trying to squeeze through the door.

Cali sadden imediantly, eyes obtaining a far away look, "No, there is only
me now." She whispered softly, before looking up and giving them her
usual grin. "I got my name from him, when i cut my hair we looked exactly
alike so most of the rest of the states don`t know there was two. Only
if they saw us together. Berry went with him, she was Blue`s mate." She
said happily.

Alice's face fell. "I'm sorry," she said softly, "I didnt know. I can only imagine what it must be like to lose your half."
"Hey, Ice." A 10-year-old boy with silver hair that barely reached his ears with one black highlights and one blue eye and one red eye walked up to Alice.
"Hey Melichior," Alice greeted, "Cal this is Bavaria."
"Melichior Beilschmidt," Bavaria said, "Pleasure to meet you." He turned to Alice and continued, "For once no one is drunk. This trade thing is serious, huh?"
"Ja. Are they ready?" Alice asked.
"Ja, bereit und warten auf Aufträge Ma'am!" Melichior said, saluting Alice.
"Rührt ," Alice laughed, "Wir sind nicht im Krieg."

bereit und warten auf Aufträge Ma'am=ready and awaiting orders ma'am
Rührt Soldat=At ease soldier
wir sind nicht im Krieg=We're not at war.

"Meh, its fine don`t tell Richie cuz its a secret!" Cali laughed.

"Wanna come and meet the rest?" Alice laughed, "Trust me, they're wild til I enter the room. And don't worry, I won't tell or ask my Bruder, but does he know?"
Melichior took off running through the house, calling, "Big Sister ist da! Shut up and hinsetzen Männer!"
Alice laughed.

Big Sister ist da! Shut up and hinsetzen Männer!=Big Sister is here! Shut up and sit down men!

"No, only Kansas, Oregon and now you know." Cali said

"Hm." Alice sighed, "It does sometimes help to speak of your pain, thank you for telling me." Alice smiled and took Cali's hand. "Come on," she said brightly, "Let's just get this all straightened out so we can go do something fun!"

'It's the past, and i never talk about it unless asked..'
Cali thought but said instead, "What do you guys do for fun?"

"Ever been to a bathhouse with beer for water?" Alice asked slyly, pulling Cali with her as she walked down the hall, "Or maybe I'll let Henrich take you around."
"Was?" Henrich asked, looking up from his chess game with Adrian when he heard his name.
In the room sat 16 people, including Henrich. They all stared up at Cali before greeting Alice.
"Alright, sit next to Hen," Alice said.

"Mk." Cali said waving to the poeple before sitting
next to Henrich, bringing Jay down so she could play
with the cat's paws. "Hey~" She said, grinning at Henrich
and Adrian.

"Hey," the two replied, before turning to Alice, who was speaking in German. The meeting continued, one state or another speaking out, always in German. The phone had rang once, and Alicd had a short quick chat with the person on the line in Italian.
"Sag mir, das ist Rom oder ich jemanden zu töten!" Henrich grumbled, "Ich will Taten, nicht langweiligen Reden oder Sitzungen."
"Beruhige dich Bruder," Lenzo, Bremen, sighed, "Solche Dinge brauchen Zeit."
Henrich sighed.
"Italiens Boss hat beschlossen, mit Big Boss treffen," Alice announced.
"Vielleicht nicht," Klaus mumbled, "So oder so ist es nun nicht mehr unser Anliegen."
"Ja," Alice sighed, "Dissmissed!"
The states got up one by one, stretching.
"That was long and bowing," Adrian huffed.

Sag mir, das ist Rom oder ich jemanden zu töten!=Tell me that's Rome or I'm killing someone!
Ich will Taten, nicht langweiligen Reden oder Sitzungen.=I want action, not boring speeches or meetings.
Beruhige dich Bruder=Calm down brother
Solche Dinge brauchen Zeit.=These things take time.
Vielleicht nicht=Maybe not
So oder so ist es nun nicht mehr unser Anliegen=Either way it is no longer our concern.

Italiens Boss hat beschlossen, mit Big Boss treffen=Italy's Boss has agreed to meet with Big Boss

"I think you'll be hard pressed to find
an official meeting that isn't...well ours
is caotic, but then again most of my siblings
have an attention span of a goldfish. Unless
someone is hurt or threatened, nobody pays attention
to what's going on, they go cuz D.C. will arrange their
house's water pipes and plumbing explode in odd intervles.
Me, Kansas, Texas and Missy created a rollercoaster that ran
all around the room at one once." Cali said, still fondling
with Jay's paws.

Adrian giggled.
"Oi, kid," Fritzi called, growing a bag at Henrich, "Take your girl out."
"...What's in the bag?" Henrich asked cautiously.
"Stuff," Fritzi replied, "Money."
"How much?" Henrich asked.
"Nearly 5000 Euros," Fritzi replied, "Won it at Eurovision."
"Crap," Alice gasped, "That's a lot!"
Fritzi smirked and left the room. Silence engulfed the place.
"Holy Crap! Was Fritzi just NICE to Henrich?" Diedrich gasped.
"Um," Henrich looked in the bag, "Wow. There's even clothes in here...female clothes."
Alice snorted.

Cali grinned and wiggled her eyebrows at
Henrich, "Something your not telling, Richie?"

Henrich blushed and threw the bag at Alice after taking the money.
"Those are for you!" he said quickly, "Come on Cali!"
He grabbed Cali's hand and pulled her from the house.

"Watch after Jay, Adrian!" Cali called as her cat
jumped down. "Where we going?"

"Kay!" Adrian called.
Henrich stopped and facepalmed.
"Er, got any idea about what you'd like to see?" Henrich asked tentivly.

"Where would you be if you wore glasses?" Cali
teased lightly. "I don't know, a museum? I'm trying
to find motivation for my next project."

"Broke with how much I facepalm," Henrich laughed, "What kind of project?"

"I don't know~ That's why i need motivation." Cali moaned,
"It might come as another addition to the house or farm,
a rollercoaster modle idea to work with Kansas and them,
or just a wooden carving. Or and odd combination of all
three...that'd be epic! We should so build a Rollie at the house."

"Sounds good," Henrich agreed, "Come on, I'll take you to see Neuschwanstein Castle."
Henrich dug around his pockets and pulled out a set of keys.
"Come on, we'll take the jeep," Henrich said, pulling Cali around the house to a large garage. The jeep was a sleek black off-roading type of jeep.

"Nice." Cali whistled, getting in and buckling
imediantly. "I almost feel bad for sitting in it.."
she mumbled, scratching her head.

"Wha? Why?" Henrich asked, "Is something wrong with it?"

"No, it's just...what if i get it
dirty?" Cali whimpered, "This has
got to be the nicest car i've ever
been in."

"This car loves getting dirty," Hendich laughed, "If this makes you uncomfortable, I'm glad I chose this instead of my mustang or camaro."

Cali moaned and punched Henrich lightly,
"So not helping Richie...Whatev, i'll deal
lets go~"

"Dont worry about it Cal," Henrich laughed. He started the engine and rode off. The green scenery flew by and wind made their hair sway. "Maybe I'll take you down to the Rhine later," Henrich said, "Or to the middle of the Black Forest."

"That'd be epic, we gotta take pictures though.
Andy'll be on my case if she finds out i went
and didn't bring her back pictures at least."
Cali said, deciding that dignitaty was not more
important then sticking your head out the window.

Henrich laughed nod nodded, his bangs out of his eyes for once, "Sure thing. Um, w-we have some abandoned...camps... I-if you wanna visit those too."
Henrich focused on the road, awkwardly waiting for Cali's reply.

Cali glanced at back at him, "If it makes
you uncomfortable, we don't have to. I have
no real urge to visit one." She said, sticking
her head back out.

"Just askin," Henrich said in relief, "Most people come for that above all. That's why."

Cali hummed, "Odd, there are camps everywhere,
some are still in use. They neither the first
nor are they the last, why should they attract
such interest.."

"Because they wanna poke fun at another's mistakes while forgetting their own," Henrich replied.

"..that's kinda pre-pubecant." Cali drawled
sardonically, "Obessions like that is what
makes people die for yesterday. Never got
that, why die for what was instead of living
for what is?"

"Becausd some people believe we must live as yesterday to fully understand tommorow," Henrich sighed, "And the present is forgotten."

"That's idiotic, the preasant is named as
such because it is a gift. And by living
as yesterday you close off yourself from
opertunities from the future and build your
life by another's dictation." Cali said then
blinked, "Hey Richie, ever notice that when
we talk it's usually philosophical?"

"Huh. That's interesting," Henrich murmured, "Stick your head in Cal. We're reaching civilization and I don't want your head getting chopped off by a car."

Cali whined softly but obeyed, "That is kinda knarly, never seen a head
chopped off, but a few limbs...i don`t think i`ll ever understand the appeal
of mooning." She commented.

"I don't know either," Henrich replied, "I've seen a person decapitated ONCE. DisneyWorld in Denmark."

"Well..actually i don't think i have anything
to say to that.." Cali laughed.