Thanks for the reviews, Ayumi Kudou (Raining popcorn? Only if its kettlecorn!) and missykim. They're appreciated! Just wanted to clear up things real fast, Gilbert-Prussia, Ludwig-Germany, Lilli-Liechtenstein, Vash-Switzerland, Mr. Edelstein-Austria, Francis-France, Michelle-Seychelles, and Elizabeth-Monaco. (I don't think Monaco has an official name.)
Lilli didn't get in trouble normally at school. Normally. Today was different though, and she found herself daydreaming instead of paying attention to her teacher. This earned her a harsh reprimand, and she fought to stay focused on her studies.
During her lunch break, she sat near, but not quite next to some boys in her class. She preferred to be alone than to be with others. That didn't mean she was an antisocial girl. She was quite the opposite, but she was dreadfully shy around anybody not related to her.
"Did you hear? We captured fourteen enemy soldiers at our last battle." One boy stated, puffing his chest out in obvious pride for his country.
One of his friends nodded enthusiastically. "And we killed twice that number!" This made the boys erupt with laughter. It made Lilli's stomach turn, and she packed up the remnants of her lunch.
"Why don't they just give up? There's no way they can win this war. Everybody knows Germans are superior." The first boy snickered.
Lilli sat at the table, playing with her slim fingers. How could these boys be so violent? They were laughing about people dying. People who had friends and families back at home. Was her brother one of the people who had killed so many? If he did, did he regret it? Her brother was only nineteen years old, and yet he was out murdering people. Or so she assumed.
The rest of her school day passed by quickly, and soon she was on her walk home. At school she had forgotten about the man she had seen that morning. With nothing else to do, she pondered about his life.
Did he have a mother back home waiting on news from her beloved son? He could already have been married with a family. He had appeared to be in his mid-twenties. Was his family dead and he was the only one alive?
So many questions swirled around her head. It wouldn't be bad if she talked to him, right?
When she entered the bar, Gilbert intercepted her, and took her things. He frowned at the heavy lunchbox. "Did you not eat today, Lilli?"
"I lost my appetite at school." She admitted, as they entered the kitchen.
His frown deepened. "You need to eat. We never know when there might be a food shortage."
She nodded. "Yes, Gilbert. Were the prisoners good workers?" She changed topics.
"They were fine." He said. "For some Frenchies." He added.
"Did you mail my letters yet?" She questioned.
"Yeah. We also got a letter from Ludwig. It's mainly superficial stuff." Gilbert stated.
Lilli picked up the opened envelope on the table, and pulled out a piece of worn paper.
Dear Gilbert and Lilli,
I will be coming home on Tuesday. Only for a brief period though. Could you collect some winter clothes for me? It's already getting cold and it is only August.
From Ludwig
Lilli matched Gilbert's displeased look from earlier. This was all? To make sure, she flipped the letter, hoping something would be written on the other side.
No
such luck.
"It's unlike him." Gilbert noted, standing at the top of the stairs.
"Indeed." Lilli murmured. "I will go write us a reply." She went to her desk, and pulled out a new piece of stationery. Her neat handwriting only filled a fourth of the page, which was mainly wishing him to stay warm. She folded it up, and took an envelope from the stack. Carefully, she printed the names and addresses not wishing it to get sent to the wrong place.
"Lilli! Can you watch the bar while I go get more supplies?" Gilbert appeared at her doorway.
With a slight jump, she turned to look at the male. "Of course."
Gilbert sighed with relief. "Good. Don't talk to the foreigners and make sure you get the correct amount of money for a drink. If you feel threatened by anybody, scream for me, I'll be right across the street."
His orders reminded her of her brother, and she felt her heart constrict, knowing it would be awhile before she saw him again. She nimbly jogged down the stairs, and stood behind the counter, watching Gilbert exit.
"Bonjour petite dame." A smooth French accented voice greeted her. She only knew that bonjour was hello, but the rest was lost to her.
She turned to face the blonde man from earlier. "Excuse me?"
He tilted his head as if trying to make sense of her German, and he tried to make a reply in German, but she only caught the words name, something about France, and photograph.
"Excuse me?" She repeated. The bar was fairly empty, except for a man nursing a beer in the far back. The rest of the prisoners weren't in sight.
He pointed to himself. "Francis."
"Francis?"
He nodded. "My name is Francis."
"Oh! Your name is Francis?" It was his turn to look confused, so she repeated what she had said slowly.
His face lit up, and he laughed loudly. He was handsome even in the bar's dim lighting, and clothes covered in filth. "And you?"
It took her a moment to piece the two words together. "Lilli."
"Lilli!" He echoed with a beam. He let out a string of French words that sounded like compliments.
"Thank you?" The slight lilt at the end made it a question, even though she hadn't meant it to be.
Francis seemed to calm down, and he took out a photo. There were four figures in it, three of which were females. "Mother." He pointed to the older looking women whose hair resembled Francis's. "Elizabeth and Michelle." He pointed to a girl who looked a bit younger than herself with glasses, and a girl who was at least three or four years younger. "My sisters." The male was obviously him. He was grinning and had his arms on his sisters shoulders.
"They're pretty." The words were out of her mouth before she knew it. Francis smiled, bent down, and kissed her on the cheek.
Forgive me for the cheesy summary by the way. Have I ever mentioned that I love FranceXLiechtenstein? No well I do…