~THE NEXT DAY~

I walked up the stairs to lichtenstein's room. today was the day and it was already going well, today hosted some of the best weather my country had to offer and that was something. I had gotten up early to make sure to be the one who woke her and so thats what i did. i gently pulled back her curtains and spoke softly.

"liechtenstein, good morning"

she opened her eyes and looked at me happily

"good morning brother."

I gave her what i hoped was a sweet smile but she had already gotten up and had her back turned to me. I left her to her morning rituals and stood against the wall outside her door mentally looking down the list i had prepared this morning.

1) wake her up with a smile

2) make her breakfast

3) compliment her outfit

4) take her around town, make sure you bring her everywhere she wants to go.

the list seemed simple enough but i was a little worried about the fact i had to ask france for it. but he was known as one of the most affectionate countries and even if i did hate the guy i knew he was more knowledgeable about this stuff than me. Still if it doesn't go well I can shoot him.

I heard her open her door and shoved the note in my pocket.

"Good morning brother, what would you like for breakfast?"

"Umm, actually I already made breakfast…"

her smile brightened and we descended to the kitchen where a plate of waffles sat in the middle of the table.

she let out a squeak of happiness and sat down. as soon as she took a bite her face lit up even more.

"this is delicious brother! almost as good as ms. belgium's."

"they are belgium's, i found some of the recipes she gave you, so..."

"you did a great job with it."

Her simple compliment made me want to beam with pride but even after her assurance It was delicious, I couldn't eat. Instead I watched her eat. I looked at her outfit, comprised of her normal pink dress and ribbon. How was i supposed to come up with a compliment for something i see everyday? If i see it all the time why would i suddenly compliment it? what if she suspects something? Im not ready to tell her yet. So I put it off deciding to wait for a better opportunity.

"big brother?"

She was smiling across the table at me
"y-yes."

"do you want to have another picnic later? or maybe we can go for a walk in the fields?"

"actually i was wondering if you would like to go out today, we could go to frances place and wander around the shops and after we could have that picnic"

"yay! of course i would."

i felt a twinge of victory, so far so good. and with that i quickly ate. not wanting to waste food.

~short time skip~

we were walking through the town and already i felt weird. i was in france without my uniform and my casual clothes seemed much duller than anything the civilians wore. liechtenstein seemed to fit in fine though. her pink dress was nothing fancy but she wore it with the same ease that the locals did theirs. A few blocks up I noticed a large crowd

"What do you think is going on up there brother?"

"Probably another one of his strikes"

But as we got closer I saw brightly colored tents lining a road with both ends blocked off and people wandering around with various foods and trinkets.

"A fair?"

I shrugged.
"either a street fair or there was a strike and the locals are making the most of it."
"can we visit a few of the stalls?"

i was about to protest and get back on track to find her a new dress but it seemed counter productive to disappoint her so I nodded and followed behind her slowly. I hated fairs of any kind, especially street fairs, since all it is was an opportunity to spend money. So as she bounced back and forth I had to avoid wincing. However i didn't have to worry, she never asked to buy anything. Instead she seemed content to look around, and chat with the vendors. eventually we got to the end. she looked up at me "brother, perhaps we should take a break?" I nodded, secretly relieved that we could stop walking and maybe find a quiet place away from all these noisy and bright tents. We headed back to the hotel to have lunch but on the way a woman stopped us.

"Hello, are you a foreigner?" She asked in broken English.

I nodded, and her face lit up with a brilliant smile.

"You should come to our restaurant, no need to know French."

I was about to decline but stopped. Sure it may take a little extra money but it was an excuse to get Lichtenstein a new dress. I nodded and took the flyer she offered. She waved as she walked off and I almost sighed. A cafe in France would definitely cost more than I would like and the English language was annoying enough without it being spoken in broken unsure sentences. I looked at Lichtenstein who was reading the flyer in my hand she glanced at me.

"It is unusual for you to want to eat in a French restaurant'?"

"It is good to change now and then. This cafe looks fine."

I said a bit more defensively. She merely nodded and looked me over.

"I understand, but this is not a cafe, it is a restaurant and a fancy one as well."

She looked me over.

"Not only would it cost more but you will need to get an outfit more formal than what you have." She looked unsure as she said that.

"I would have to as well."

I winced at thinking of the cost. Surely I could find a different reason to get her a new dress. Just then I received a call. Not many know my cell so I flipped it open and gave a polite nod to Lichtenstein. As soon as I put it to my ear France's obnoxious voice cut through.

"Just take her! The check will be on me."

Then the line clicked when he hung up on me. I looked around alarmed, could he see us? How close could he be to hear us?

Lichtenstein looked worried too, no doubt alarmed by my reaction.

I just took her hand and walked away.

"We are going to get clothes then go eat."

She looked concerned but merely nodded. After awhile we ended up in a shop that sold the required attire. It took only about twenty minutes for her to get sized and pick out what she the other hand it took hours to find something for me, hours and three different shops. Eventually Lichtenstein found a suit that fit me appropriately. I had no idea the amount of time this would take, but eventually we were seated to eat. We ordered our food and made small talk while we waited.

"So how come you were so efficient at that?"

"Oh you mean the dress shopping? I used to be nobility at mr. Austria's house."

"Right, I remember. That dress looks good on you by the way."

Yes success I completed that part.

"She looked surprised but smiled widely.

"Thank you brother!"

Even though the list said to say so, it wasn't a lie. She had on a long sleeveless dress that was as light and blue as her eyes are green. It was held up by the collar tight around her neck a rose the color of her dress adorned it. included in the ensemble was a pair of equal blue arm covers that ended with a flair at her hands but were separate from the rest of her dress. She still wore a ribbon in her hair but it was a blue to match the dress held up by another rose. I had wondered where the original ribbon was but I had soon saw it tied around her wrist, hidden under the sleeves.

I wonder if I looked as good in my suit as she did her dress. My suit was black with a blue undershirt. Not the light soft blue hers was but instead really dark. She insisted I didn't need a tie or anything so the collar just kinda hung open. Well whatever, I wasn't going to dwell on it.

The food arrived and looked fine but the waitress would not hand it over, insisting we follow her to a private room reserved for special guests and couples. Claiming it was on behalf of the owner who was taken with us. I knew this was a stupid intervention of France's so I just agreed to it. Lichtenstein however said quietly

"I would rather stay here."

When The waitress tried to politely talk her into it. She just repeated it a bit firmer this time looking me right in the eyes pleadingly.