i do not own the selection nor hetalia. they belong to kiera cass and himuraya hidekazu respectively.
Kiku definitely wasn't exaggerating when he said that the lines were packed.
By the time Arthur groggily pencilled in the last grade he had received for his magic and Kiku had greeted him in the kitchen with a piece of buttered toast, the usually spacious facility was completely packed. The revolving glass doors were wide open, and a pair of guards clad in Hearts' military uniform were standing outside them and keeping control of the crowd, the red stark in contrast against the brightly painted walls.
The line stretched out near the base of the marble steps that lead up to the main compound. Arthur and Kiku waved hello to a few familiar faces from their weekly magic class, but judging from the various parents and teenagers clutching forms, the crowd was not limited to the candidates assigned to the holding facilities.
They were likely part of the upper class, the ones that were fortunate and wealthy enough to live in the Inner Circle. A girl quite a way up above was holding a pale pink shawl and was dressed in an intricate purple skirt, and her mother seemed to be holding a paper and talking to her harshly. Another boy was dressed very smartly, straightening his hat before he strode up the steps and snapped his phone closed, a luxury that was limited to residents of the Inner Circles only.
"Do you think they've separated the lines like they did last time?" Arthur asked as they came near to the end of the line, jogging up the stairs.
"It would probably partition near the beginning," Kiku reasoned, sounding a little breathless. "There seems to be a lot more this time than they had last time around."
"Are we even near the end of the line yet? Why do you think there's more people-" Arthur began, but he crashed straight into a girl right in front of them, who whipped around almost immediately.
Her ice-blue eyes were striking, and she pushed away her platinum blonde hair as she watched him getting up critically.
"We have reached the end of the line," Kiku concluded sheepishly.
"Hi, would you punks like to explain yourselves?" she snapped.
She was pretty in appearance, her hair loosely tied together and secured with a dark ribbon and she was wearing a black dress, but the severe expression took all those thoughts right out of Arthur's head.
"Um, sorry, Miss-"
"Natalya," she replied frostily. "I'm assuming you're one of those kids from the holding facilities."
"That would be correct," Kiku said, desperately trying to rectify the solution before Arthur started squaring up for a fight as well. "We are sorry that we disturbed you, we were just a little hurried to sign up."
"Is it because you're signing up for the Spades Deciding, like almost all of the other rich kids in the area? There's this girl up front, calls herself Marianne," she muttered in response as Arthur brushed off some dust from his coat and quickly mumbled an apology. "Thinks she's destined to be the next Queen of Spades."
"I'm applying for Spades, yes, but Kiku here is going for the Hearts Kingdom. I'm Arthur, by the way. Pleasure to meet you." Arthur said, offering his hand so that she could give him hers.
"Oh, the pleasure is all mine," she snarked right back, instead taking his hand in a tight grip and shaking it firmly. "Spades, as well."
As they got closer and closer to the area where the queue split into the people from the holding facilities and the people who had to pay an additional fee to get into the Deciding, Kiku would not stop frantically checking his form.
"What if we have missed something? I am sure that you placed the fact that I speak more than one language on the list of my improved attributes, but still-" he fretted. The two of them had decided to fill out the other's redeeming qualities and attributes in order to get a fair bias. Arthur still worried that his best friend had embellished him to be some sort of magical god.
"Kiku, I definitely do not pour as much time into reading as I did before," Arthur complained as he straightened the paper. "I'm not some sort of scholar! And singing? I never even took any of my classes-"
"Aren't you supposed to be prepared?" Natalya had turned around to face them, perching on her cardboard box as they were waiting for the queue to start partitioning. "And anyway, do you really think they'll look at the application forms at length? There's got to be-I don't know, probably thousands of us and they're supposed to ask only thirty of us to come down to the palace in the end."
"But still, if it is not neat then it does not suit standards." Kiku said, squinting amidst the awful, lashing sunlight.
"Some people are only just starting to fill in their forms," Arthur remarked, his gaze flicking around to see a boy furiously scribbling on his pale green form for Clubs while simultaneously watching the line beginning to shift.
"Yeah. But a lot of people have definitely put a lot of thought into their appearances, because come on, would you slog through three thousand applications or look at their pictures?"
"Is that why the people from the Inner Circles have come dressed as fancily as they possibly could have?" Kiku said, taking a quick glance at the people around them. Someone, clearly from a holding facility, was clad in simple jeans and a t-shirt, and a girl next to him was speaking with him, wearing a pretty but plain summer dress. A few spots behind her, a girl was examining her nails with a bored expression on her face, but she was lathered in makeup and her dress was nothing farther from dull. Another boy, presumably her brother with their matching hair colours, was dolled up in a suit from head to toe, with smartly pressed shoes and a pale red tie, probably meant to represent the colours of the kingdom which he was competing from.
They shuffled along in mostly silence as the minutes progressed on, Arthur and Kiku finally agreeing to put away their pens as the line began to split.
As they watched the next five people be escorted into different lines, Natalya faced them again, putting down her cardboard box and her application in one swift movement.
"…who's the one that's going to Spades?" she asked.
"That would be me," Arthur said quickly, raising one thick eyebrow. "Was there something that you would like?"
"Nothing in particular," she said, the phrase incredibly choppy in itself. "It's just that things can get brutal in there. And I know we've known each other for what-a grand total of six minutes?"
"Forty seven minutes, to be exact," Kiku said.
"Yeah, that. Anyway…should we make a deal? I promise I won't be bitchy or behave in a shitty way towards you, and you do the same. I already have enough work on my plate trying to charm this guy I don't know, and I really don't need a fight. I have other priorities. So…is that okay with you?" she said, extending her hand for a handshake and an agreement.
But I don't know you, Arthur reasoned with himself in his mind. How do I know you won't backstab me later on?
But again, it's not like I really have anything to lose. I just have to try to get Heracles out of the military, help Matthew as best as you can, and then start a life outside the holding facilities. Then I can pursue that bookshop I've always wanted.
"It's a deal," he said, taking her cold hand and shaking it firmly. "Anyway, it's not like there will be anything to fight over. The prince isn't really anything to fight over, right?""Well, you haven't met him yet," Natalya said as the line began to shift and she began to be directed to another section. "Who knows, you could be completely head over heels for the guy in less than a week."
"Well, you haven't met him yet," Natalya said as the line began to shift and she began to be directed to another section. "Who knows, you could be completely head over heels for the guy in less than a week."
Arthur grimaced at the thought, but wished her good luck as she walked away and did the same.
As if. I'm not some lovesick schoolgirl, after all. I'll be lucky if I make it past the first day!
"Papers, please," the official said, and Arthur scuffled around in his pocket for the documents as Kiku handed them over in a neat pile.
"Which kingdom?" he asked, and Kiku replied in a swift fashion, resting his hand on the tall contraption that stood in front of the towering glass panels that led into another room.
"Mr Honda," he said, peering at his information before handing it back to him, "You'll be in Aisle Three for Hearts, Window Eight. You will be screened further there. Have a nice day. Next!"
Kiku disappeared past the glass panel that separated the brightly lit concierge into the other room.
Arthur handed over his slightly creased forms, twiddling his thumbs nervously as the official motioned for him to place the hand on the smooth surface of the device.
It wasn't a new concept since there had been scans ever since he had come to the holding facilities when he was eight. At least it was better than tracker devices directly embedded into the candidates' skins-at least, that were the rumours of the holding facilities in Clubs and Diamonds. As usual, the surface was cold, and he felt a shudder run through his skin as he felt the machine's rays scan the surface of his hand.
"Cleared," the official continued in a gruff voice, lifting his violet gaze to meet his. "Mr Kirkland, which kingdom?"
"Spades," Arthur replied, before he could switch to some other kingdom, knowing his stupid mind.
The official acknowledged this with a grunt, speaking his mouthpiece while he examined his papers (again). Arthur snuck a quick glance behind his shoulder at the crowd as he awkwardly shifted his weight from side to side.
"Very well, Aisle Thirteen for Spades, window number one. Have a nice day-Next!" he bellowed, handing him back his information before he was ushered away into another corridor.
It was drafty, his footsteps echoing as he made his way down the long and narrow pathway. It opened to another large hall, but it was darker, with only a few small rectangles serving as the windows, letting in minimal light. The room was colder than the hallway, the largest source of light being the multiple booths packed around the wall.
There was a large seating area, filled with velvet chairs that a crowd of people were sitting on, candidates and parents alike. Arthur spotted Kiku after a few moments due to the poor lighting, and took the seat next to him.
"There is still a while yet to your number," Kiku said as Arthur told him about his seating. "I suppose it is because there are so many candidates for Spades this time around. Mine is soon, though.""I wonder why there aren't as many people coming over to Hearts?"
"I wonder why there aren't as many people coming over to Hearts?"
"Maybe they do not want to form an attachment to the King and then find themselves in a bad situation-" he mused as a girl and her father got up from their seats and went to a blue marked counter. He began to speak again, but he was interrupted by a call of his name and noticed out from the corner of his eye that there was a booth lighting up red.
"Mr Honda," came over the intercom. "Please refer to the LED display for your booth number and your clerk."
"There it is," Kiku said quickly, his gaze moving to the large rectangle that was the display. "We might not be able to get out at the same time, so I will go ahead and buy dinner first. Any requests?"
"Um, bagels will do*."
"Mr Kirkland, may I have your papers, please?"
Arthur took off his waist pouch and placed it on the rusty hook, handing the clerk his papers. He pulled his coat around him tighter, trying to keep his body temperature at a normal state.
"The Spades Deciding, hmm?" he asked, tipping his glasses up further. Arthur nodded quickly in response.
"Not going to blame you, kid. Very nice country, with a sick prince and a cute Ace," the clerk continued, leafing through his information. "Would recommend."
"…excuse me?" Arthur asked, trying not to sputter. This wasn't how a normal businessperson would react. Calling the prince ill? Even if Arthur had never met him, that was rather disrespectful anyway! And calling the Ace cute-that was a bizarre statement in its own!
"Yeah. Cute Ace, what about it? Ha, you fancy kids are so fun to mess around with. I asked Kat to come over with me, too bad she said it didn't feel right. You guys are a hoot!" he laughed.
"Kat?" Arthur questioned, trying to peek through the blinds. Who on Earth was this person and why-
Wait, that name. Haven't I heard her name somewhere around? I swear I have.
"Yeah, kid, unless you've been living under a rock, you know who Katya is. Super sweet Joker?"
Arthur's mind was reeling as he processed this information. "Do you know her? As in, personally talk to her?"
The man behind the window sighed, placing down Arthur's papers and hesitating for a moment before he pulled a cord and the blinds went up. They did not go up all the way, but they managed to expose a pair of pale red eyes.
"You could say that I really know her," he smirked, seeing recognition fall into Arthur's eyes.
Because who else could those well known eyes belong to, other than the Joker himself, Gilbert Beilschmidt?
"You're, uh, going have to do a lot of explaining," Arthur said in a low tone, whipping his head from side to side in paranoia.
"That's exactly what I'm going to do now, kid."
*Tongue in cheek reference to the cancer inducing first draft.