Warning: long historical notes at the bottom.
I in no way claim any rights or profits to Axis Powers Hetalia. Those belong to Hidekaz Himaruya, and justly so. This was written purely for fun.
The OC Alaska is mine however, based off Himaruya's concept.
When they reached the restaurant Mary exchanged warm greetings with the host and they were almost immediately seated in a comfortable table in the back. He ordered vodka, a bottle of it, as well as a salad; the waiter looked a little frantic and glanced from him to Alexandra and back again.
"I trust there is nothing wrong, da?" he said his smile coldly polite.
"N-no sir, it's just I don't know if I can bring a bottle to the table."
Mary sighed, "Its fine Fred. Just bring the bottle. If Bill complains I'll deal with it."
The waiter looked a little more relieved, "And for you?"
"Just water, please." And with that he scurried away.
"You don't wish for a relaxing drink with dinner?" he looked at her surprised.
She sighed again, "No, I try not to drink when I can help it, and I don't trust myself with alcohol; particularly hard alcohol." she said eyeing the large bottle of clear vodka that Fred set down before scurrying away again. "You of all people should know that."
"And Alfred." He replied fairly as he poured himself a glass.
"Yes, and Alfred. Both of you should know that bad things happen when I take to liquor."
"Don't be so hard on yourself, as you say it's our fault. You seem uptight, drink a beer if you must, that has less alcohol than vodka."
"Not everyone was born to be an alcoholic like you Europeans." She muttered. But when Fred returned with his salad she did order an Alaskan Amber as well as a clam dish, he ordered a chowder dish that reminded him a solyanka.
"So" she said after taking a sip from her beer, "Other than to try and get me to secede from the Union, why did you come and visit me all of a sudden? It's been what, about 140 years since you left?"
"143 years." He corrected before taking another bite of salad. She was watching him expectantly, a mocking smile tilting the corners of her mouth. "To be honest Aleksandra, I wanted to check and see how you were fairing as a member of the Union."
"143 years later is a little late." She sat back her face now blank; her fingers tapped the beer bottle. "And sentimental, especially considering that you saw me only as a source of revenue."
That's not true Aleksandra he thought but her mood was threatening to become surly again so he decided to let it drop. Silence stretched across the table. Mary took off her jacket revealing a short sleeved blouse underneath and unclipped the pins from her hair letting it fall from its bun to hang like a black shimmering veil all down her back.
"For work, da?" he asked.
She nodded. "The bun makes my head hurt."
"You look nicer with your hair down anyway."
She ran a hand distractedly through her hair and smiled a little, "Thanks." There was more silence as Fred arrived with their food and he drank some more vodka.
"I like being in the Union." She said after a while. "Alfred is a good father, he's made his fair share of mistakes, but…" she smiled her eyes a little distant "he looks after me, and spends time with me, and lets me be who I am now."
Russia sat back watching her, he had not expected such a candid answer, and it hurt a little. It seemed as if Aleksandra had just gone somewhere he would never be able to follow and he began to feel a little lonely, even though she was sitting just across from him. He drank some more vodka.
She broke from her trance and glanced at him her eyebrows raised and the corner of her mouth tilted in a smirk, "What, nothing sarcastic to say?"
"Nyet." The smirk vanished into a blank face again and she dropped his gaze to concentrate on her food.
He poured himself another glass. Perhaps it had been a mistake to come after all, 143 years was too late. In the time they had been separated his sweet little sister who had lived in isolation, had grown into a sardonic young woman who dealt with the world daily. She had probably put her past with him behind her. He remained absorbed in his thoughts and quiet through the rest of dinner, focusing more on the bottle of vodka.
By the time dinner was over he was feeling a little funny and the bottle was nearly empty. Alexandra kept shooting anxious looks at him but declined Bill's offer to call a cab. They got into her car and she asked him where he wanted to go next.
"You can just drop me at a hotel." He murmured looking out the window.
Surprisingly she didn't jump on this opportunity to get rid of him, "I'm sorry if I was rude so, why don't we go for a walk, to clear our heads? The parks should be coming into bloom soon."
"I was rude too, Mne zhalʹ. Da, that should be nice"
Authoress Notes:
Alaska's Aversion to Alcohol: Alcoholism is a big problem up here, so is drunk driving. But alcoholism and bootlegging is particularly bad in the villages. When Alaska says that Russia and America should both know that she's bad with alcohol she's referring to when white people gave the Natives access to alcohol without realizing just how addictive it would be for them, and then taking advantage of that addiction. It's a very sad situation.
Beer does have less alcohol than hard liquor, Alaskan Amber is a local Alaskan brewery. Here Alaska's trying to take the middle road and drink responsibly.
No offense to any Europeans but you do drink a lot of alcohol.
Solyanka is a fish chowder.
Alaska as a source of revenue: The Russian Empire wanted to sell Alaska because they were strapped for cash because they'd just lost the Crimean War to the British Empire. Alaska resents this view of her. Russia doesn't see it like this.
Alfred as a father: The US did make a lot of mistakes with the AK territory and there was very cruel treatment of the Alaska Natives. But I don't believe that Alfred ever hated Alaska, I think he was just distracted by other things and didn't realize just how badly she was being treated. Things are much better now, Alaska is reliant on the federal government for funding, but we're also a very independent state and I think Alaska would just be a very free-spirited, independent person especially considering how far she is from everyone and what she's been through.
Lets me be who I am now: After America bought Alaska missionaries came up to convert the Alaska Natives to whatever religion they were from. Alaskan children were taken from their homes and put in boarding schools where Native cultures, languages, and mixes of Native and Russian culture were stamped out, often with physical punishment. At these boarding schools the children were abused both physically and verbally and sometimes sexually. Today Alaskans are trying to reclaim their native cultures and languages so they do not become forgotten or extinct.
The boarding school thing is when I like to think that Alfred wasn't aware of how badly Alaska was being treated; and now he's trying to make up for it. It's sad that we Americans have such a bad track record for respecting and preserving our Native cultures.
Russian for, "I'm sorry." Russian courtesy of Google, if it's wrong please let me know.
FYI: I changed Alaska's human name from Mary to Alexandra at the suggestion of Russian Lullaby. Thanks.
Please review! There will be more to come tomorrow.