The first thing France notices is how England looks even more horrific than usual, a feat thought to be impossible. His shoulders hang low with exhaustion, dark bags curl underneath his grass green eyes, and his skin appears quite pale. And England's outfit is... well... The kind thing to say is 'homely'.
A light brown overcoat, a fraying green scarf, and worn black gloves over his hands. If England is going to degrade himself by wearing marked-down clothing, then France supposes it may as well be Burberry. England also seems to be carefully gripping some cardboard box while wearing an expression that is both piercing and accusatory.
"What on Earth are you doing here, frog?" the scruffy man asks. How rude! Though, not uncharacteristic. France regards him for a moment and considers his own options.
They haven't seen each other in some time, so it follows that France should enjoy himself and make the most of this little encounter, right? However, England does appear to be in a very sour mood. He probably won't tolerate much teasing before kicking France in particularly sensitive areas.
"Not that it is any of your business," France drawls, "but I am here to gather some materials I accidentally left behind. Ah, by the way... You missed today's EU meeting."
"Thank you, I'm well aware," England clips. Oh, he is definitely quite touchy today.
"You were also missing from the previous one," France musically adds, "in November, and several others from last year. Not that I particularly care, of course, but I just thought I should mention."
England does not respond or rebuke the statement. He merely furrows his ever-expressive eyebrows. The reaction fills France's heart with playful mirth. "You know, some of the other nations were asking after you," he mentions. "I'm not exactly sure why they chose to ask me, but... Apparently, they thought you might turn up to bid them farewell on your last day." England offers no comment and merely continues to glare. "Italy especially! 'France, won't England at least wish us good-bye? I made him some fresh linguini to show how much I value his friendship!'" France puts forth his worst impression of Feliciano in a last-ditch attempt to get England to play along. After all, banter is no fun without a receptive partner.
"Your lying needs a bit of work," England scowls. Success!
"...You're right, they didn't care at all," France admits with a smile. "I think perhaps most of them did not even notice your absence." At that, England's demeanour goes from mildly annoyed to offended. His shoulders tense up and his expression appears almost pained. Strange. It isn't quite what France expects.
Honestly, with England absent from so many of the European Union meetings, everyone simply assumed it was because he no longer cared. With Brexit looming, it was an easy explanation to believe. However, looking at him now, France realizes that there may be another reason.
It is perhaps possible that England is too stressed from the impending separation to meet with the individuals he is to be separated from. Though, if that is the case then it should serve him right. Not only has the whole Brexit event thrown off England's economy, but it is also causing incredible damage to the Union's stability and reputation. For a moment, France considers telling him as much. It is absolutely something the selfish idiot deserves to hear. Then again, there's a sizable chance that such comments will lead to an entire scuffle and France just purchased his lovely new coat from Chanel last week. He absolutely cannot risk ruining it! So instead, France decides to let the grouch off easy with some indifferent, casual conversation. "Never mind, though. Tell me! Are you feeling excited?"
England stares back, without any shred of enthusiasm.
"...What?" he asks.
"Well," France elaborates, "you finally have the freedom that you so desperately wanted. I imagine that is something you would be a little bit happy about, no?"
To his confusion, England immediately storms past him, knocking their elbows. He stamps off down the hallway without so much as an off-handed quip. Stunned at his reaction, France watches him go until his familiar rival turns a corner and vanishes from sight.
What was that for? Why bother getting angry at such a little question? You'd think that France asked him why he looks like the missing link between Neanderthals and modern-day humans. Irritated, France brushes it off. If England is set on having a tantrum over nothing, then it is best to let him be.
Refocusing on the reason for his visit, France turns and strides towards the nation offices. Coming to his own, France begins to open the door before something catches his attention. Just a bit further down the hall, he notices the bold lettering is partially scratched off of England's room. But what's more, is that he notices how bare the room looks through the thick glass. Mildly curious, he slips towards it for just a moment. He peers inside and sees how empty the little space now sits.
Sturdy oak shelves without books, a wide desk without any papers strewn about, no pens, no photographs, no files... Not a trace remains of the man who once worked there. It looks rather melancholy, France thinks.
Obviously, the reason England decided to show up today was because he needed to gather up the last of his belongings before midnight, when his security access will be revoked. However, something does not make sense to France. Why did England wait until now? He could have visited at any time. Even if he wished to avoid running in to anyone, he surely could have visited on a day when there were no meetings taking place. What good does it do to hold off until the final evening?
France recalls the image of England he just witnessed and ponders something he hadn't before. Is England not looking forward to Brexit? But how can that be? England does want Brexit to happen, doesn't he?
As he stands still before the vacant room, gears turning in his mind, France thinks carefully. Perhaps he is reading too much into it. Although, thinking back on it now, he realizes that he cannot recall England personally affirming that he wants to leave the European Union. Well, not in any serious capacity. The man complained a thousand times in the past several decades, but it was always frivolously hollow. When Brexit was first announced, everyone in Europe was genuinely surprised. Not one nation truly believed that England would choose to leave. Most of the commotion leading up to the referendum was only drummed-up by his politicians, his media outlets, a portion of his voter base, and... oh, come now.
Taking in a deep breath, France draws out a long-suffering sigh. What is he doing, ruminating on this subject? Brexit is happening tonight, regardless of how anyone feels about it. It does him absolutely no good to conjure up excuses for that sorry man and think about the what-ifs.
France drags a finger across the door, running it along the rough edges of its worn, fading font. On the other hand, this may be the last time he and England will see each other for quite a while. And if England continues with this avoidant pattern of behaviour, he may also skip out on a few G8 meetings. Realistically, it could be a year or more before they meet again. Is it really alright to simply leave things unsaid? No, with the state the world is in right now, it probably isn't. But does France care enough about "the greater good" to chase after a stubborn, unfashionable, alcoholic fool and spend the entire evening trying to weasel the truth out of him? Ha! No, he certainly does not.
But then, maybe he is just slightly interested in the truth. Albeit, purely for his own curiosity and self-satisfaction.
Hmm... What to do? As usual, France can swing either way. He can pursue his old rival for answers or let everything be. Perhaps, to help decide, he can look at this situation differently. Maybe he can consider how entertaining (or disastrous) the evening may end up being. Maybe a little gamble could be fun.
Maybe the question he should be asking himself is: how generous does he feel like being tonight?