Mooooorrrreeee filllleeerrrr! I'm trying to figure out how many more filler episodes I want up before I throw you the subplot…
/= [DAY 61] =/
"Charice…"
She froze, turning her head slowly to a rather annoyed looking Natalya. And it was basically her that apparently made her phobia of Germans seem more like an annoyance than a gut-wrenching fear. Hell, at least it allows Charice to handle Germany a little more.
"Um…yeah? W-what's up?"
"Have you been talking to big brother Ivan recently…?"
"…no…haven't…seen him in a while…" Charice tensed up all her nerves. "Though…h-he might be at the next Glee Club meeting…in a few day's time…if you wish to talk to him then."
"That is not my problem…are you taking him away from me?"
"EH? AM I? Um…mentally or physically? Cause if I'm physically taking him away, you can get him back! I open my doors to you! Drag him back to your home…nation, house, planet, wherever!"
"My brother Ivan likes to talk about you…he says he likes your charm…in a way…"
"Sure…sure, sure sure…b-but everyone has that charm too! Doesn't he talk about other people? I-I'm sure he does!"
"He seems to have recently gained a preference for you…"
Wait…does that mean that Ivan's actually STRAIGHT? Whoa, that's a mindfuck.
"SO WHY ARE YOU TAKING BIG BROTHER IVAN AWAY FROM ME?"
"I DUNNO! M-maybe it's because I'm not as clingy or terrified of him as other people!"
"…hm?"
"W-well, uh…p-people like affection as much as the next guy…b-but once someone gets clingy, t-they start fleeing to other people! C-cause…um…clinginess is…s-scary…"
Natalya stared at her for a few minutes before giving off a huff and storming away from Charice, not even looking at her in the eyes anymore. She stared at her fleeing image for a few minutes before turning back to the direction she was facing.
Did I just win a standoff with Natalya?
She skipped to her next class in happiness.
/=+=/
The school day was officially over, but Charice was too bored to return to the dorms. So she wandered the area bored out of her skull until she could see the sun setting from the tall buildings. After all that, she found herself listening to a piano echoing through the hallways.
Wait, piano?
/= "Independence" by HetaOni =/
"If it's a piano, then it should be Roderich~"
She loved how her thinking worked. Sure enough, her ears led her toward the music hall where the Music Club would usually meet. After a few minutes, she found herself standing in front of the door waiting for something to happen. Charice wondered if she could just leave.
"I know you're there, Charice."
"WAH!"
"If you wish to come in…you may do so."
She blinked for a few minutes before opening the door and walking in, seeing Roderich at the piano playing as always. As she closed the door behind her, she felt oddly out of place. For one thing, Roderich was out of his uniform and was now wearing a purpleish jacket that didn't look that bad on him.
"If I am allowed to ask, why did you not leave school grounds? There are no rehearsals or club meetings today."
"Well…I got bored, and I didn't want to explore the city." Charice answered. "I was thinking about it when I heard the piano music."
"Ah, I see…" He smiled. "Well then, I'm happy to be worthy of your company."
Is he hitting on me? "That's good to hear. May I ask what you were playing before?"
"Oh, so you have heard this." He had a sad smile on his face. "These are my emotions before you came into the room."
"…really? But it sounded…depressing. Like, downer music!"
"Yes…well…the emotions emitting from this school seem to affect me just a little."
"…you're…being affected by the school?"
"It's something that I can't really explain in words, really…but for you, I will try." Roderich looked through the empty classroom. "This whole school, when I first entered through these doors, had such a strange blanket of loneliness that I had not felt before. Maybe it was because a huge concentration of people had never stayed inside a single building for huge amounts of time before…"
"Sadness…"
Charice couldn't help but think about all the Shadows that she had been fighting off in people's other worlds. How sad they were, how angry they were to themselves and the world, and how they thought that everything would've been better off if they had just…
"But now that I see you here, the mood feels…uplifted…clean."
"Cleansed?"
"Yes…again, I don't know how to explain it."
"Use the piano. I may not be able to read a music sheet, but I can hear good music when I hear it."
Roderich took that as his cue to return to the piano and start up again on his emotional playing. Charice could barely tell that he had paused for just a minute.
/= "The Decision of Love" by HetaOni =/
The song seemed so happy compared to the other one, that it actually made her smile. She compared the song to actually exploring the worlds of the minds, fighting off Shadows, making them resolve their conflicts and leaving them cleansed of their pasts, at least to themselves. She rubbed the back of her head as she thought of how she helped Kiku in his issue, how he was going to turn his back on society yet again…and of Antonio, how his smile held so many secrets behind them.
"For some reason, I found myself playing to express the emotional conflicts that I have felt throughout this school…and I have a feeling that it helps."
"It…helps?"
"Yes. Sometimes, when the emotions are too great, I come here to play. Irunya heard me on the first day and decided to form a music club, which helped my cover, but…it doesn't help the emotions as much."
"So you're saying that the music you play…helps the overall emotions of this school."
"Helps, not fully heals." He answered. "I've seen it…the emotions slowly creeping up into a happier state."
Charice had no idea what to say. She had a feeling it was more of her input of jumping into people's worlds with Li Xiao that was helping the overall mood, but hey if Roderich could tell that people were getting depressed, she might as well give him that.
"I'm sorry if I'm making you more depressed."
"Nah, I rarely get depressed." That was a big lie.
"Perhaps I can set your mind at ease by offering you some coffee and cake?"
…
"CAKE?"
"Yes…cake. It's known as a Sachetorte from the German nations." He said with a soft laugh. "I heard from a few people that you had quite the sweet tooth."
"Understatement. Of the freakin' millennium." She chirped. "Here I thought my nose was smelling something from the cafeteria…"
"Hahaha…ah, yes. A few people around the school said that you did have the nose of a bloodhound…"
"Yeah, well…they never told you that I have the ability to taste what I can smell and hear. And by the taste coming from my mouth, this must be some really good cake!"
"Ahahaha…well, while you're here, perhaps we can partake in a small coffee break?"
My god, he really IS hitting on me. Maybe I should tell him that coffee and I don't mix well? "Um…sure. Why not?" Oh, he's in for it now.
"All right then. Allow me to serve your coffee."
"Sure…" Jesus Christ, he's suave.
Nonetheless, Charice was trying to think up ways to calmly let him down and say she wasn't interested in him as Roderich slowly prepared the coffee that they were going to share. After a few minutes, she was smelling something that tasted like whipped cream, and all thought went straight out the beautiful arch windows that adorned the area.
"Here you are."
She looked down at the small coffee cup before her and instantly realized something: wasn't coffee supposed to be bitter tasting? Blech, she hated bitter. But nonetheless, she had to drink it out of courtesy. So Charice swallowed her fear as she took in the coffee as well.
"Is the coffee to your liking?"
"…whoa. The coffee's sweet!" Charice stared at it. "How much creamer did you put in this? Is there anything in there that's remotely coffee?"
"Hahaha…yes, this is coffee." Roderich answered softly. "This is known as Einspänner."
"Einspänner…" She blinked. "Well, it's a good coffee."
"Yes…and by the looks of it, you have whipped cream on your lip."
"Eh?" She licked it. "Well, explains the sweetness!"
"Yes, indeed." His smile faded. "I'm confused about something."
"Shoot." She sipped the coffee.
"I heard from Ludwig that you are…phobic about Germans, aren't you?"
"Yeah, so?"
"You can tolerate me just fine."
"Well, in a way, you're not technically German…in a weird sense of the case." Charice put the coffee down. "But I've been working on my phobia prior to coming here. And so far, it's been working. I can handle being around Ludwig when there are other people in the room or when he's not screaming his head off about something."
"Is that so?"
"Yeah. Strange things, really." Charice sipped the coffee again. "Sometimes, I wonder if it was a phobia in the first place."
"Hahaha…maybe it's not. Nonetheless, I'm…happy that your fears do not associate themselves to me."
My god, I got a freakin' Austrian hitting on me. Or maybe this is how Austrians naturally are to other people? OK, let's go with that. It makes this a whole less creepier.
"Well, I have to say that the whipped cream is really good, Roderich."
"Yes. It's well known that the quality of the whipped cream affects the quality and taste of the coffee it's served with." Roderich smiled. "I personally requested and received this from an acquaintance of mine who owns a ranch back where I come from, so it's fresh for usage."
Yep. He's hitting on me. So much for that illusion. "Well, that makes this coffee even better…and I'm not a coffee person!"
"I'm glad to hear that." That smile could win gay people over. "Now then, I believe it's time to serve that long awaited Sachetorte that you've been waiting for…"
Hell yeah to that.
Five seconds later, someone slammed the door open, making Charice scream bloody murder and Roderich turn his head and see Ludwig at the door. His face was completely red and…was he wearing a brown suit? She was so grateful that her phobia wasn't kicking in as of right now.
"THEEERRREEEE YYYOOOOUUUUU AAAARRREEEE, AAUSTRIAAAA!"
"Holy crap." She blinked.
"? Ludwig?" Roderich asked calmly. "What purpose do you have here?"
"You'rrrrrreee such a bastarrdd…me and bruuudddderrr invited you overrrr and you said noooo…" Ludwig was swaying back and forth. "Whyyyyyyy?"
Because by the looks of it, he'd be more traumatized than what the hell I'm watching now. Charice had seen a drunk Germany before. Never again, she vowed. So much for that.
"I had things to attend to." Roderich answered calmly. "Besides, you know that your brother and I are not in good speaking terms as of the moment-"
"SCREEEWWWWW THAAAAT! FRIENSHIP will surpaassssss the neeedddsss of…of con-con-con…con…"
"Conformity?"
"YES! CONFORMITY, YES YES YES…"
"…Ludwig…" Roderich tilted his head and rubbed his chin. "Are you…drunk?"
"Arrrrrrree you kidding meeee? I. Am. 100. P-p-ppperr-cent…sober!" Ludwig stated with a slam of his hands. "I haven't had a beer in two minutes!"
Oh…dear…god…high above…save me. Charice rubbed her forehead. What could possibly get any worse?
That was when her sugar high kicked in.
/= [DAY 62] =/
She wanted to explore the TV in the Newspaper Wing again. For some reason, she wanted to relive the day that first created the Glee Club (because after yesterday's I-don't-even-know-what-it-was event, she wanted something funny that was also UPLIFTING).
Charice was glad when she saw that no one was in the room, and then quietly skipped over to the screen to stick her head inside. Sure enough, she saw people fleeing toward the registration line like there was literally no tomorrow. None of them seem to see her, so she figured it was a good thing.
"Ce que…I guess Mathieu was true to his statements."
Charice darted her head and saw a rather amused Francis staring back at her. But instead of staring at her ass (which seemed like a choice that he would take), he was staring at the fact that she stuck her head in a TV screen. That's when she realized it.
"Oh crap, you saw that didn't you?"
"You don't have to worry, mademoiselle…I've seen far too much before this moment."
"Eh?"
"Did you seriously think you could hide something as important as the body of a dear friend of mine?"
It was then that she realized what he was talking about: a few days ago, Gilbert and Antonio were talking about their little trio and how Francis was one of them as well. That would mean that while they were saving Gilbert's life, Francis must've seen the body…
"I-I'm surprised that you didn't start screaming through the school hallways what you saw." She said, feeling oddly uncomfortable for more reasons than should be stated.
"Well, I was about too when I saw all of you leave that strange portal of yours…and apparently it brought Gilbert back to life." Francis lifted his hands. "Please, no details. I have kindly asked Mathieu to tell me everything he knows, so I know everything as of now."
"…well, I guess that makes perfect sense. Your two best friends, your…son, I guess, and your rival are all in this…I guess it's weird to leave you out of it." Charice stated. "Does…anyone else know?"
"As far as I'm concerned, only me." Francis answered. "Though I must admit that I have opened up my knowledge only to my best friends."
"OK…well, I'm a little worried about how the others are going to find out." Charice rubbed the back of her head. "Especially Arthur. He has the magic."
"Tsk tsk tsk…he's not the only one who does, my dear. Normally, I don't practice it…but I do have quite the knowledge."
"…huh…please don't enchant me."
"Now why would I do something like that to a beautiful woman like you?"
Would you like me to list the reasons? Nah, never mind. "Well, I guess having more people in the know makes keeping this secret a little easier…but if you enter the world, you're going to be in a lot of danger. And god forbid you have to face yourself."
"Which is why when you see your next victim, I will stay on this side of the portal." Francis insisted. "My magic may be rusty from not using it in a long time, but it will be able to cover up the stench of dead bodies before you come back."
"…thanks, Francis. That'd be a great help."
"Whatever I can to please the mademoiselle and protect my son from any dangers he may face."
She nodded, feeling a card between her fingers. Nonetheless, she felt her eyes twitch to the side, where she saw a half-man, half-woman…whatever standing a few feet away from Francis' location. It looked a little creepy, but whatever, she guessed.
["I AM THOU…AND THOU ART I."]
Oh…dear god.
["AS THE ONE WHO SPEAKS ON BOTH SIDES OF THE GENDER LINE, I AM AT YOUR COMMAND."]
And here I thought IVAN was creepy.
The card fused with her body as she saw Francis smile in a way that wasn't a rape face. That's when she knew that there must be something in his blood that can make him an older brother, if not father.
"You know what? You're not a bad guy."
"I'm glad to hear that."
Oh god, it's that rape smile again.
/=+=/
Ardha is the Hindu deity composed of Shiva and his consort Pavati, representing the fusion of male and female energies in the universe. Legends vary on why this was done, from him/her being the reincarnation of Shiva to a symbol of marriage, when Shiva and Pavati were so in love they became one so that they would not separate.
And yes, the scene above that was a homage to the Gakuen Hetalia game. Unless people are going to start asking for it, I am NOT shipping Austria x Philia. Watch people start asking.
*loads shotgun*