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Post by America on Jul 5, 2011 13:37:38 GMT -5
Date: August, 1778 Charles Town, South CarolinaTo the folk passing by, Alfred must have resembled the cat that found the perfect patch of sunlight. Leaning against a wall of crates as he was, the young nation couldn't help but luxuriate in the weather. It was warm here! Winter at Valley Forge seemed nothing more than a distant nightmare he'd had years ago with the sun beaming down on his head like this.
The giggles of a few young ladies passing by drew Alfred momentarily out of his reverie. When they saw the boy they assumed was just a normal Continental soldier was watching them, they dipped into little curtsies. Grinning, Alfred replied with a playful bow that had them giggling all over again as they walked on.
Really, at the moment Alfred felt perfectly at home with the universe. Even though he was fighting a war, life just seemed wonderful at the moment. Alfred and his army had taken his capital back, and France's navy had finally made it across the Atlantic with word that not only was France now at war on Alfred's side, he was officially recognizing him...plus with that bit of training from hell, er, well, from Prussia, his army was ready to take England on anytime and anywhere!
France's officers had brought along a letter for Alfred as well. It was an invitation for Alfred to visit France in person, along with a lot of diplomatic mumbo-jumbo that apparently meant it should happen 'as soon as possible' or something. General Washington had agreed that it was probably a good idea, and unless things went horribly wrong somehow Alfred was planning on sailing in a month or so...
...But none of these things was why Alfred was in South Carolina. He'd started feeling a kind of urge to travel through his southern half not long after Philadelphia was freed. It had bothered him throughout the fighting in June and he'd finally asked General Washington if he could check things out right after his second birthday.
('Second birthday'...God, that still felt really weird to think about! At least he hadn't turned back into a little baby or anything after the Declaration was ratified, that would have been even worse.)
It seemed as if Alfred's worries had been for nothing at first, though there were still lots of loyalists in the Carolinas and other southern colonies and that could be a problem. Alfred had gotten more than a few disdainful looks and shouted insults riding around in his uniform. War hadn't quite come to his southern half, not yet, and here his people were still happy to go with the old status quo if possible.
For Alfred, the urge to move had drawn him to Charles Town. And it wasn't until he'd overheard people talking about the different ships that came in for trade that Alfred figured out what must be bothering him. Apparently the most interesting ship that was scheduled to come in next belonged to someplace called Russia...and even Alfred had heard a few rumors and stories about the Russians. Even for Europeans, it seemed, Russia was something of a strange, giant, and very unusual neighbor.
And that was why Alfred was now down at the docks and waiting for the Russian trading ship to come in. Something about it was important. Idly, Alfred wondered if maybe the nation-spirit of Russia was going to come on the ship. That could be either good or bad depending on whether Russia ended up helping England or not...
Shouts from the men down at the docks proper drew Alfred's thoughts back to reality. Some ships were coming in now, slowly growing in size as they moved from the horizon to the harbor. And something in Alfred's stomach was telling him that this was the source of the feeling that had been bothering him. Nervous now, Alfred could do nothing but stand at the edge of the docks and wait. ---- - Charles Town was the hub of trade for the southern colonies, so it makes sense that Russia's traders would come here. - It wasn't renamed 'Charleston' until after 1780. - France signed the Treaty of Alliance in February and went to war with Britain not long after.
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Post by Russia on Jul 5, 2011 18:20:59 GMT -5
If there was one thing that Ivan disliked, it was traveling by ship. In fact, “dislike” was probably too mild of a word to express his hatred for the long, rocking ship ride that he had been forced to endure. Had he not had such a burning curiosity concerning the American colonies, Ivan probably would have opted to stay back in St. Petersburg instead of hoping on the merchant vessel. In the end though, his urge to explore had gotten the better of him and he had dared to leave the stillness and comfort of dry land.
After the first few hours of sailing, the tall blonde had been left to think that maybe that decision had been a mistake. Having not spent much time on ships, the constant rocking of the wooden vessel had made him downright sick and he had spent a not small portion of his time leaning over the rail, while the merchants he was traveling with had enjoyed a good laugh. Sick and disgruntled, Ivan had figured it easy for them to laugh, since given their occupations, they would have been sailing constantly. Though many of his population were sailors of sorts, he personally was not.
Much to his relief, the sick feeling had somewhat abated as time had went on. As the ship ride had become marginally less horrible, Russia had been able to spend more and more time away from the railings. He still had hated to venture below deck, where the motions seemed to bother him even more, but overall the situation had improved drastically.
And now they were finally coming up on their destination. At last, the pale empire would be able to set foot on land once more and get to see a new and completely foreign place. Catherine seemed to think so highly of the American colonies, that he just had to see it for himself. Though he had never met the spirit of the colonies before, they had been important trade partners for a little bit now, which made meeting him or her seem rather important to him personally. Staring out at the land that was coming progressively nearer, he had spent some time contemplating what exactly the strange colony would look like. Hopefully it wouldn’t look like England. He was technically neutral concerning English affairs at the moment, but he still didn’t find the English nation to be very pleasant or appealing most days. Although Ivan supposed that if the nation was female and looked similar to England it might not be so bad. In fact, just for the sake of eye candy he hoped the nation was female. Either that, or maybe exceptionally effeminate.
There were questions as to how the colony would act as well. Probably similar to England, he imagined. Arthur had such bizarre customs and Ivan wondered if any of those would be seen in his colonial trade partner.
The ship finally made it up to the docks, jerking slightly to a stop as the anchor was dropped. The sounds of people on the decks immediately drifted to the eager Russian’s ears as he hurried to get off the ship the moment the walk was dropped. Shoving past his crewmates, bright violet eyes scanning the strange new place with wild curiosity. He remembered asking the ship captain what the name of the place they were heading to was, and vaguely recalled that it was called “Charles Town.” Not understanding much English, he had no idea what that meant, but it sounded so exotic to him. St. Petersburg bore the name of one of his greatest leaders, so maybe this place was named after a great leader of some sort?
The air was filled with the sound of lively chatter, but not knowing much English, Ivan couldn’t make much of it out. To pass time, some of his ship mates had taught him a few phrases during the voyage, but these people did not seem to be using those phrases and they were speaking much too fast for him to keep up. The only familiar sound was the rapid-fire Russian being spoken by his crewmates as they started about their task of unloading cargo.
“Здравствуйте.” The tall blonde tried hopefully as he made his way along the docks. Hopefully someone would know Russian to some degree. Exploring would be much nicer if he had someone who spoke his mother tongue with him. Locating the colonial representation would be nice, since they could resort to the common tongue that all nations could use. He wasn’t sure though if that representation would even be here. All the same, Ivan began to scan the area in search of anything that looked nation-like or Arthur-like to him. Greeting just about anyone who was blonde in the country common tongue, he figured he would be able to find the colonial spirit if he was there eventually. ____________________________ ((Hope this works. ~ Здравствуйте = hello in Russian. It's a more formal version, since he doesn't personally know any of the colonists. XD)
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Post by America on Jul 5, 2011 19:20:19 GMT -5
Date: August, 1778 Charles Town, South CarolinaAlfred watched with unabashed interest as the Russians began unloading their cargo. The way the general noise of English-speaking dockworkers mixed with the chatter of the Russian-speaking (Russians called their language 'Russian', right?) sailors in a very interesting way. Russian sounded really strange too: not as coarse as German or as slippery as French. It was more of a...low rumble, maybe? Not that Alfred could understand a word of it otherwise, all the sounds ran together and got tangled up in his head.
Curiosity nudged him into moving closer to the now-bustling dock. Russians didn't really look all that different from Alfred's people...or even from the French or the Spanish. It was mostly how they dressed and spoke that made them stand out. One of them was really standing out, a tall male figure who actually had a scarf around his neck. ...A thick, heavy-looking and probably heavenly-warm scarf that Alfred and the rest of the army would have killed each other last winter - but it was August and this was South Carolina, so there was no sense in wearing it now.
'Must be a Russian thing,' [/color] Alfred decided. The scarf-wearing Russian was the only one on the dock not hard at work either...he was wandering around, occasionally saying something Alfred couldn't really make out to some of the men and getting either vague 'hellos' or otherwise irritated silences as responses depending on whether they managed to figure out what he was saying. Without thinking, Alfred raised his hands in the air and waved to get the strange Russian's attention, gesturing at him to head his direction once that attention was gotten. It was only after the Russian actually began heading his way that Alfred began wondering what the hell he was doing. Maybe this was a diplomat - in which case he was definitely a horribly lost diplomat, since the Congress was staying in Boston right now - but it wasn't like Alfred could speak Russian. Though a diplomat would know English, right? ...Or at least have a translator? But somehow that didn't sit right in Alfred's gut. And though it made no sense for the Russian nation-spirit to randomly sail over the ocean to Alfred's place, it would explain the sudden feeling of intimidation he was getting. ...That, or it was the fact that this guy was really freaking tall. Alfred had finally gotten used to not having to look up at people all the time and suddenly he felt almost like a little kid once again. "Any chance you speak English?"[/color] Alfred started off, speaking English himself of course. ...Then again, if this was the nation-spirit of Russia, chances were good that he probably didn't speak it any more than Alfred spoke Russian. Alfred gave it a minute, then tried switching languages. "...Or maybe this?"[/color] he asked in Shaykomay. If it turned out that this was just some random Russian guy who didn't speak either language, well, Alfred was going to be really embarrassed. But at least he was making the effort to be slightly diplomatic![/center] ---- - Ironically, Alfred looks more like Finland than England~ XD
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Post by Russia on Jul 6, 2011 17:22:28 GMT -5
Ivan had not been looking for too long before a man a little ways off started rapidly waving his arms in the air. At first, the Russian was not entirely sure if he was gesturing to him, or doing some sort of traditional dance. He knew next to nothing about this place, perhaps they had a greeting dance? Maybe that was why he got so many strange looks from the other colonists, he wasn’t doing their traditional arm waving dance? Sparing a quick look around though, Ivan didn’t see anyone else waving their arms in such a fashion. So it must have been that the colonist wanted his attention. Well, either his or someone else’s, but Russia started towards him all the same.
As he approached the man, he noticed that he was apparently wearing a uniform of sorts. So he wasn’t an average colonist. Most of the other people near the docks were dressed differently. The uniform was a sort of blue color, with red trimming. It reminded Ivan in a way of something France would wear. There were also white straps across his jacket, and he appeared to be armed, confirming Russia’s ideas that he was a soldier. The vibrant colors made his military uniforms back home look downright dull and lifeless in comparison.
He stopped after he had gotten close enough to hear the man say something in English, and immediately he got a feeling that there was more to this colonist than met the eye. He didn’t resemble Arthur as much as Ivan would expect from the representative, but the Russian had the distinct feeling that this man was one of his own kind. It was the same feeling he would get over and over again when meeting new countries or colonies. And of course, their kind tended to be less flawed in the looks department than a normal person, which this young man clearly was.
"...Or maybe this?"
Ivan’s eyes lit up with recognition. He had been correct, this was the colonial representation. He was slightly amazed to be lucky enough to find him here when he was at war. Surely there were other places where he was needed more? Not knowing much about the American colonies’ situation though, he was not sure whether it was luck to find him here, or whether it was to be expected because this was somehow an important place for war related stuff.
“So you are the representation of these lands.” Ivan gave the colony a smile, wondering briefly how these people were accustomed to greeting one another. If they didn’t wave their arms around like he had previously thought, he had no idea what would be an appropriate greeting. He didn’t want to leave a bad impression on his fairly new trade partner. Taking off one of his gloves, Ivan offered his hand to the other man with a bit of uncertainty. To shake hands was the Russian custom of greeting, and he seemed to remember it being the same for the English, so he was assuming it would be the same with the American colonies.
“I’m Russia.” He explained jovially, and air of pride in his voice. “Since my leader thinks so highly of you, I couldn’t resist the chance to visit in person.” ____________________________ ((It's traditional to take your gloves off in Russia when shaking hands. It's not so traditional to smile at strangers... but Ivan is a weird even by his people's standards there.))
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Post by America on Jul 6, 2011 21:29:23 GMT -5
Date: August, 1778 Charles Town, South CarolinaWith the giant Russian that was possibly a nation-spirit looming over him - well, not looming, it was just a little disconcerting that he was taller than Alfred was all! - Alfred began hoping that if this wasn't who he thought it was, the Russian would at least not thing that Alfred was insulting him or something. Even though he wasn't human, Alfred was certain that getting punched by an offended guy as tall as this one would still hurt like hell!
The tension only dissipated when the Russian's gaze brightened in recognition when Alfred started using the common country language instead of English. So it was the Russian nation-spirit Alfred was looking at after all!
“So you are the representation of these lands.” [/color] Alfred blinked, slightly surprised at first when he found himself being smiled at. Not even a condescending smile, but a...genuinely nice-looking one! And while it was a little strange to be called a 'representation', Alfred found he preferred it a hell of a lot more to being referred to as a 'colony'. Though 'nation' would still have been nice, since that's what he was... “I’m Russia. Since my leader thinks so highly of you, I couldn’t resist the chance to visit in person.”[/color] And Russia was even offering his hand out to shake! Alfred couldn't help but smile back just as brightly and take hold of the outstretched hand with his own. "Nice to meet you! I'm...well, I'm the United States of America now but since that's a mouthful you could can just call me 'America' if you like!"[/color] Alfred replied, shaking the other's hand vigorously. Normally, Alfred would make certain to be careful when it came to shaking hands. Their kind apparently came with beyond-human strength normally, from what he could tell, but even around Ar - around England Alfred had found that his own physical strength was much greater than it should be. It was kind of frustrating sometimes having to handle everything like the world was made of glass - especially after Alfred got big. But Russia was big too, and his grip was strong. 'Ugh, I really hope we can get along. I don't want to fight someone as strong as I am!'[/color] Alfred thought to himself. Then his mind tracked on to the other thing that Russia had said. "Y-Your boss likes me?"[/color] Alfred asked, sudden surprise and delight coloring his voice. Alfred was pretty sure he'd never met Russia's boss before, but the feeling of being liked was a really nice feeling! And since most of what Alfred knew about Russia came via England and his complaints about colonists trading with people the latter disliked, the idea was quite pleasing to Alfred at the moment. If England didn't like Russia, then Russia was probably a great guy and Alfred wanted to get to know him for sure! "Well, thanks for coming! Although I really didn't know you were coming, so it's lucky I happened to be in the area! Ha ha ha ha!"[/color] Well, luck and a hunch in his gut...but that would make Alfred sound weird so he didn't mention it. Though it really was odd that Russia would come to Charles Town of all places. It was an important trade port, sure, but a political thing like visiting another nation-spirit seemed more like the thing that would involve Alfred's Congress...[/center]
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Post by Russia on Jul 8, 2011 2:04:46 GMT -5
The other man accepted his handshake, which was surely a good sign. Maybe these people weren’t so different from his own population? Having traveled a bit and been to many different places, Ivan had encountered some cultures that had been vastly different than his own. Even places closer to his own borders could be so very diverse when it came to customs. China and Mongolia being two prime examples.
"Nice to meet you! I'm...well, I'm the United States of America now but since that's a mouthful you could can just call me 'America' if you like!"
“America…” Ivan tried the name out quietly. He liked the sound of the name. The Russian squeezed the colony’s hand back with just as much vigor, pleased to see that America had a strong shake. That was surely a sign of power, which was good to see in a trade partner. Weak trade partners were more easily overpowered by other countries, which ruined any current trade ties when it happened and just made things messy.
"Y-Your boss likes me?"
Ivan released America’s hand, giving him a slight nod. “Да. She sees much promise in you I think. Catherine is like that though, always keeping an eye on world affairs.” The larger blonde looked thoughtful for a moment, his mind wandering to his leader fondly. She was a very intelligent and worldly sort, despite the less than admirable rumors that were floating around about her. But what did Ivan care about her and her love for men? He had no issues with taking multiple partners anyways, so the rumors that he sometimes heard whispered around the capitol did nothing to darken his thoughts about his beloved leader. If she saw some sort of promise and opportunity in this young colony, then he was content to trust her judgment.
"Well, thanks for coming! Although I really didn't know you were coming, so it's lucky I happened to be in the area! Ha ha ha ha!"
So it had been just blind luck that he had ran into America. Ivan had not known he would be coming here himself until he had decided spur of the moment to hop onto the boat, so he had figured that had to have been the case. He wouldn’t have tried to send a message to America in advance anyways telling him of his plans to visit, even if he had made them. Too much of a hassle and too time consuming.
“I was not sure if you would be here or not. I know you are at war right now and figured you might be off on the front. I don’t know much about your situation though concerning the actual fighting.” He gave the man a curious look, before giving him a rough pat on the shoulder. “Not that it matters. I came to visit and see what all the talk was about. Catherine isn’t the only one taking keen interest in what happens here. And my sailors come back with such interesting things sometimes.”
He turned his violet eyes away from America for a moment, glancing around his surroundings with keen interest. It wasn’t like being somewhere as strange and foreign as say the jungles of Africa, but there were some immediately noticeable differences in his and America’s lands. He hadn’t even been here long and already noticed the strange design of the buildings off past the docks.
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Post by America on Jul 9, 2011 23:36:35 GMT -5
Date: August, 1778 Charles Town, South Carolina“Да. She sees much promise in you I think. Catherine is like that though, always keeping an eye on world affairs.” [/color] 'Da'? Was that a Russian word? Well, if the context was anything to go by it seemed to mean 'yes'...although the rest of it really did surprise him. Russia's boss was a girl? That just seemed...really odd, somehow. Alfred could picture Russia with a male boss easily (probably someone even taller and more intimidating than Russia himself already was...a somewhat terrifying mental image) but a female one? Alfred himself had never had a female boss...well, no, to be honest he'd never had a boss at all before. For a moment, a troubling thought occurred to Alfred. He didn't have a boss now either, did he? Or did General Washington count, since the man was Alfred's superior in the army? Something about the notion of being boss-less just didn't feel right...thinking about that kind of stuff wasn't pleasant, however, and Alfred dismissed it from his mind with a quick shake of his head. Besides, even if she was a girl, Russia had said that his boss saw promise in Alfred. Even though he'd never met the lady (and for all he knew, Alfred never would), Alfred found himself liking her already. Someone that thought he had 'promise' couldn't be bad at all, right? Of course right! “I was not sure if you would be here or not. I know you are at war right now and figured you might be off on the front. I don’t know much about your situation though concerning the actual fighting.”[/color] He didn't know where the fighting was taking place? Well, that explained why Russia was as far south as Charles Town...Alfred was just about to respond to that when Russia patted him on the shoulder with a heavy hand. “Not that it matters. I came to visit and see what all the talk was about. Catherine isn’t the only one taking keen interest in what happens here. And my sailors come back with such interesting things sometimes.”[/color] "Oh, is that all?"[/color] Alfred tried to keep his words flippant, but the vague sense of dismissal he'd picked up in Russia's voice did damper his enthusiasm a bit. It seemed like while Russia and his boss apparently liked Alfred's lands and people a lot, neither of them seemed interested in offering help. Though maybe if he and Russia managed to become close friends... Instead of revealing any of these thoughts, Alfred just grinned up at Russia cheerfully. "I don't think our stuff is that interesting, but I guess it's because I've never been to Europe before,"[/color] Alfred said next. He would have added more to that if not for a gruff voice piping up from behind Russia in English. "Gangway, we're coming through here!"Leaning to the side, Alfred discovered that he and Russia were kind of in the way of getting the cargo that was coming out of the ship off the dock. The sailors and dock workers didn't look too irritated, but that might have just been because Russia was standing there being all intimidating-looking. "Sorry!"[/color] Alfred cheerfully replied. Tugging at Russia's sleeve, Alfred barely remembered to switch back to the common language before speaking to Russia again. At least they had one language they both understood...this would have been incredibly awkward otherwise. "We should probably get out of the way. C'mon, let's head into town a bit!"[/color] Charles Town was a nice town to visit, too...the only sign that this part of Alfred was at war at all was the ready state of the fort over on Sullivan's Island, and after being beaten back during that one failed attempt at taking the fort early on, none of England's forces had dared mess with the place. So the whole town was relaxed and happy. Besides, Russia had just said he was here to sight-see, right? It only made sense that Alfred would take the other nation on a little tour![/center]
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Post by Russia on Jul 12, 2011 1:40:12 GMT -5
"Oh, is that all?"
Ivan turned his sights back onto America curiously, wondering what the other had expected him to be there for. He surely didn’t think Russia could try and get involved in his current war affairs. Not against his boss’ decisions, did he? Thinking on it for a moment in silence though, the stocky Russian figured he would be asking the same thing if some nation had come to visit him during one of his fiercest wars. It was only natural to hope for more help in fighting off enemies, especially since this war was so important to colonial America, wasn’t it? If he won, as far as Russia understood it, he got his independence and the official title of “country.”
Despite the fact that Russia had not come to offer war aid, the other nation appeared happy enough all the same. Maybe he was confident enough in his own abilities to not be too upset by not gaining another powerful ally against England? Russia could certainly admire that confidence. America was a fairly young colony by country standards and if anything, Ivan had expected him to be less confident since he was fighting a much older, more powerful nation than himself.
"I don't think our stuff is that interesting, but I guess it's because I've never been to Europe before.”
That made sense. Ivan supposed that he didn’t find his own cultural stuff half as interesting as a foreigner would either. In his opinion, it was the most fun to visit places that were a lot different than his own. And if America was anything like England, it was sure to be an exotic place of curious things that he wouldn’t find in his own borders. He had no time to reply to the remark however, as a gruff voice behind him spoke up in English, making the tall blonde turn to the source in surprise. Was the man trying to greet him? Instantly, the Russian tried to think of some of the greetings he had learned in English. “Heello.” He tried with some uncertainty, putting too much stress on the “e” sound in the word. Before he could say more, America said something back to the man in the strange sounding language and then tugged at Russia’s sleeve.
"We should probably get out of the way. C'mon, let's head into town a bit!"
Realizing that they were indeed standing in the way of the sailors and dock workers, Ivan followed America’s lead. Heading into the town sounded good to him as well. The docks were crowded with people trying to move cargo around and staying around them would probably mean moving out of the way a lot. Plus, there just wasn’t as much to see on the docks. Having came all the way from his capitol city to this strange place, he wanted to explore as much as he could. What better way than to let America himself lead the way and show him some of the town?
“I am happy to have ran into you, America.” he stated after following the other man in silence for a bit. “I doubt many of your people know my native tongue and unless I wanted to follow my shipmates around all the time, I think conversation would have been limited.” Had the colony not been present, he figured that any exploration of the town would have had to have been pretty quiet on his part.
“It’s just a shame that I am not permitted to help you in your war. If my boss would allow it, I would be more than willing to help. I love the chance to fight, even if it isn’t on my own soil.” The Russian smiled at the thought of battle. If there was one thing that truly excited him, it was the thrill of inflicting pain onto anyone foolish enough to oppose him. Though his current leader liked to keep peace on the international level, Ivan was still very much a sadist at heart concerning anything he deemed an enemy. He didn’t always win wars or conflicts, but he loved to fight all the same and when he did win some battle, the feeling was one of bliss, power and complete dominance.
“This is your first war, isn’t it?” He studied the colony with interest. “Or did you fight under England’s rule at some point for one of his causes?” He really was not up to par on his knowledge of the American colonies and was not entirely sure how many fierce conflicts the seemingly young man had been in already. “There really is no greater feeling than besting another nation in battle. And the more conflicts you win, the more other nation’s grow to respect you.” He left out the fact that losing battles and wars was not such a pleasant thing and that they could be expensive in resources as well.
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Post by America on Jul 15, 2011 16:23:51 GMT -5
Date: August, 1778 Charles Town, South CarolinaRussia seemed more than happy to move further into Charles Town. It would have been a real issue if he hadn't...while Alfred probably could have easily picked up the other nation and bodily carried him away from the docks, Russia probably wouldn't have appreciated it much.
Charles Town was a nice city, too. Even though it was a major trade port and handled a lot of business for all his southern states, the place hadn't gotten too big or developed. That would probably change in the future, but for now Alfred could enjoy comfortable dirt roads and large spaces between most of the buildings.
“I am happy to have ran into you, America.” [/color] At the sound of Russia's voice, Alfred looked over his shoulder. Russia seemed to be enjoying himself, but Alfred had to wonder how Charles Town must compare to the cities the other nation was used to. Alfred knew his buildings were probably less prestigious-looking than the ones back in Europe, but considering how recently everything had been built Alfred thought they were damn impressive in their own rights! “I doubt many of your people know my native tongue and unless I wanted to follow my shipmates around all the time, I think conversation would have been limited.”[/color] Turning so he was walking backwards and facing Russia, Alfred grinned and chuckled. "That's true! Most of us here speak English. Though further south there's people who can also speak Spanish, and I think some people closer to my brother's house speak more French..."[/color] As he said this, Alfred waved vaguely southwards and then vaguely northwards in turn. Then he laced his fingers behind his head. "It gets kind of crazy if you go west, though - all those Indians and their languages. I think they do on purpose, too!"[/color] Thinking about the native people living just outside his borders made Alfred start to wonder if Russia had any Indians in his house. Maybe there weren't any in Europe, but Russia was supposed to be a mysterious place... Getting tired of walking backwards, Alfred pivoted and let himself match Russia's pace so that he'd be beside the other nation and not in front of him as they continued their stately stroll. “It’s just a shame that I am not permitted to help you in your war. If my boss would allow it, I would be more than willing to help. I love the chance to fight, even if it isn’t on my own soil.”[/color] Well that certainly was direct. Even though Russia's boss seemed to like Alfred and his people a lot, Russia himself wasn't allowed to help out. "That's a shame,"[/color] Alfred sighed, not hiding his disappointment this time, "Still, we're gonna kick England's ass whether anyone helps or not!"[/color] A thought occurred to him, and Alfred turned a playful grin up at Russia next. "Though I bet someone as tough as you just has to glare at the other guys and they run home with their tails between their legs, right?"[/color] He could totally see that happening, too! Pity Alfred couldn't just borrow Russia from his boss for a few days and have him go and glare England into submission like that. It would have been so totally awesome! Like an amazing super-automatic-enemy-chasing-away machine of some kind! Alfred chuckled to himself, pleased with the mental image he'd created. ...Although perhaps if he used a dummy with Russia's face painted on it...and maybe mounted it on a cart or something...! “This is your first war, isn’t it?”[/color] Russia's voice drew Alfred back out of his thoughts just as he was wondering whether a full-size cart or a smaller wheeled contraption would work better for his tentative machine design. “Or did you fight under England’s rule at some point for one of his causes?"[/color] Alfred's gaze was momentarily thoughtful. "...I guess this is my first real war,"[/color] he eventually conceded, "This is the first real army I've ever had before, anyway. Though my militia and I did help out the Regulars a lot during the French and Indian war..."[/color] That was when the whole thing started getting messy...granted, Alfred was willing to accept that maybe his people shouldn't have been so quick to provoke the French, but that didn't mean the whole thing was his fault! Not when England had openly admitted that he and France were already in another big war in Europe and considered the North American battles just more of the same! It was unfair to expect Alfred's people to pay for the entire cost of the However-Many-Years-It-Was War like that! “There really is no greater feeling than besting another nation in battle. And the more conflicts you win, the more other nation’s grow to respect you."[/color] "Really?"[/color] Alfred replied, his curiosity peaking, "Because from what I can tell, everybody in Europe just seems to fight all the time. If other nations respect the winner, why do they start fighting them again right away?"[/color] It just seemed really backwards to him...or at least way too unnecessarily complicated. But Russia was clearly a very experienced nation in that area, so hopefully the older nation could explain it in a way that made sense.[/center] ---- - British soldiers in the colonies weren't known as the Redcoats (because in the beginning of the Revolution the Americans still viewed themselves as British citizens who were being treated unfairly), they were referred to as the Regulars. - Teach Alfred the ways of war-making, Russia-sempai~! XD
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Post by Russia on Jul 17, 2011 17:41:29 GMT -5
"Really? Because from what I can tell, everybody in Europe just seems to fight all the time. If other nations respect the winner, why do they start fighting them again right away?"
Ivan nodded at first with perhaps an inappropriate amount of cheerfulness at the other man’s inquisitive remark. The rest was true of course. European nations did seem to always be fighting with one another. As best as Ivan could tell though, that was why some of them could be so powerful. More wars meant more chances to gain territory, which expanded a nation’s influence. And the more influence a country had, the more powerful they were, right? The Russian considered how to best answer the question for a moment, his eyes flickering to the wooden structures around them as he thought about it.
“Well, I suppose some of that is because the loser wants to attempt and regain that respect and power?” No, he needed a better way to word that thought. “Suppose you were at war with another country over land. Kind of like you are now in a way, but say you were the aggressor in this case and wanted to claim a new territory for its resources. So, you win this new territory after a bunch of fighting. What do you suppose the defeated nation would do? They’ve just lost their prestige and a good source of resources. Naturally, the answer it to fight again the moment they can in an attempt to either gain back that land or get a different chunk of land to make up for it.”
Pleased with his simplistic description, Ivan continued in a much more certain tone. “So even though they respect the winner, it won’t stop the wars because there will always be a nation looking to claim more land. Maybe you could call it “aggressive respect.” His thoughts drifted to all his recent and not-so-recent conflicts momentarily. He had won many of his recent wars in some form or another, but he was certain that he would need to claim more land sometime soon if he wanted to gain more power and respect himself. With his current boss insisting on neutrality though, that would be difficult. He would probably be left waiting for the next Tsar to take power. Things would be so much easier if America’s idea that Ivan just glaring at his opponents would be enough to scare them off was actually true. Wanting to give the impression that it might be true without outright telling falsities, he had just not commented on that notion.
Since this was America’s first real war, he hoped that his words of wisdom helped the young colony after he had freed himself from England and became a full fledged nation. Maybe America would take his advice to heart and start conquering more stretches of the New World for himself after a bit of recovery form the current war. Maybe someday the younger nation would have power and influence that was almost on the same scale as Russia. The idea seemed almost laughable at the moment, with America's struggle just to become independent still underway.
The farther away from the actual sea water that they got, the warmer it seemed to get to Ivan. Though it had surely been hot even on the docks, Ivan was just starting to feel the heat creep up on him. Reaching up, he loosened his scarf a bit and unfastened some of the buttons on his heavy coat. Ivan liked to be warm and it was far better to be too hot than too cold. That being the case, he still did get uncomfortable in extreme heat, all the more so when he was dressed for the type of weather he was used to at home. Not that wearing a full coat and scarf was common in his own borders in August, but it was bearable for Ivan at least. He was starting to think that he might have to shed the coat soon in this strange and hot environment. Not the scarf though. He never liked to completely take that off when he could avoid it. It brought with it a sense of security- which was all the more important to have in foreign lands.
The dusty streets of the town were bordered by a fair number of wooden buildings with foreign writing on them. The lettering looked something similar to his Cyrillic in some cases, but completely different and strange in others. He was reminded of America’s complaint about the “Indians” and their strange languages. He couldn’t imagine what the signs said, but he hoped one of them at least was a drink house with a good supply of strong liquor. Preferably vodka.
“You have liquor in your lands, yes?” He gave the American a hopeful look before scanning the building signs once more to see if anything even remotely resembled his words for alcohol. “Vodka is one of the drinks of choice amongst my people. Do you have it here?” He failed to mention that it was still sometimes thought of as the drink of choice for peasants. The Royal Family would indulge in drinking it now, but not nearly on the same scale as the peasantry. But America would not recognize that Ivan had a peasant’s taste, having not come from his cultural background, so he felt no shame in inquiring about it.
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Post by America on Jul 18, 2011 23:33:57 GMT -5
Date: August, 1778 Charles Town, South CarolinaRussia seemed pleased to be asked the question, which was good because Alfred hadn't really considered whether or not it would be an offensive subject before he asked about it.
“Well, I suppose some of that is because the loser wants to attempt and regain that respect and power? Suppose you were at war with another country over land. Kind of like you are now in a way, but say you were the aggressor in this case and wanted to claim a new territory for its resources. So, you win this new territory after a bunch of fighting. What do you suppose the defeated nation would do? They’ve just lost their prestige and a good source of resources. Naturally, the answer it to fight again the moment they can in an attempt to either gain back that land or get a different chunk of land to make up for it.” [/color] Alfred thought this over. It was hard to grasp the idea of two nations fighting over the same tiny piece of land over and over and over, though. Land was never in short supply, as long as you could get rid of the Indians squatting on it, and for all Alfred knew the continent stretched on forever so that he'd never run out of space. “So even though they respect the winner, it won’t stop the wars because there will always be a nation looking to claim more land. Maybe you could call it “aggressive respect.”[/color] "I'm not sure I'd call that respect anyway,"[/color] Alfred replied, his tone thoughtful, "If the losers really respected the winner, they'd give up on the land they lost, wouldn't they?"[/color] But if the loser was stubborn and feeling offended...yeah, that would explain it. So in the end it was all grudges. As long as the other nation was around to have a grudge, the fighting would never end...but fighting all the time sounded extremely unpleasant. "If it were me, I'd just win as hard as I could the first time - and make sure get rid of everyone from the nation I was fighting, too. That way I'd get the land and prestige from fighting, but my people could spend their time raising families and making money instead of always fighting just to keep it."[/color] Alfred's tone was all smiles. "It's like when we expand westward around here,"[/color] he added, trying to explain himself in a way that wouldn't get Russia (or himself) all mixed up, "We're always fighting Indians when that happens. But the settlers kick the Indians off the land entirely and don't let them come back! In the end, the Indians always give up and move somewhere further west. There's so much land around here that it's not worth the trouble to fight like you guys in Europe do!"[/color] He emphasized the last bit with a chuckle. It really did seem silly...if Alfred's new states could agree to their borders and stick with them, couldn't age-old European nations do the same? Even if there wasn't much room in Europe? Considering how 'civilized' Europe was supposed to be compared to the New World and all, it was ridiculous! “You have liquor in your lands, yes?”[/color] Confused by the strange question, Alfred looked Russia over. He'd started loosening his heavy coat, clearly starting to feel the Carolina heat. "Vodka is one of the drinks of choice amongst my people. Do you have it here?”[/color] ...Alfred was starting to really feel the heat himself, now that he was paying attention to it. The dimness of a tavern would be lovely for getting out of the worst of it...though that first question still had him puzzled. "Is there a land with no alcohol?"[/color] It sounded like an awful place, wherever it was. "And that 'vodka' stuff...I've never had it, but Charles Town is one of my major trade ports,"[/color] Alfred added after another minute, "So there might be some imported from your house! Let's see, where was the tavern..."[/color] Looking up and down the street, Alfred finally spotted a likely-looking sign. Sure enough, it was a tavern - mostly empty due to it being midday - and it was just as dim and shady as Alfred had hoped. "What can I get ya, lad?" the barkeep asked when Alfred hurried to the counter with Russia in tow. "Hey! We were wondering if you had any Russian stuff. Like 'vodka', I think he said?"[/color] Alfred asked, chattering away in rapid English, "I don't know whether it's a beer or something else though."[/color] "Depends, lad. You planning to pay for it?""Of course! And I definitely want a beer,"[/color] Alfred replied indignantly. While the barkeep sent someone to look in the storeroom, he and Alfred started haggling over the price. The barkeep refused to take any continental dollars, which set Alfred's teeth on edge: it wasn't his fault they were losing value so fast! At least he had money on him at all, normally Alfred forgot to carry any. General Washington wouldn't let him leave without any though...and had thoughtfully provided Alfred with some South Carolina pounds. Eventually, they managed to agree to a mix of the pounds and the dollars. The barkeep's storeroom yielded up one large and dusty bottle of clear liquid with strange lettering on the wrapper. While the man went to get Alfred's beer, the young nation stared at the weird letters and tried to will them into making sense. "That's vodka?"[/color] Alfred questioned, looking at Russia for confirmation.[/center] ---- - Yay! One dusty bottle of vodka~! - Alfred's outlook is some bizarre mix of naive and horrible~
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Post by Russia on Jul 27, 2011 16:29:43 GMT -5
Ivan had listened to America’s explanation about expanding westward with some confusion. To him nothing sounded wrong at all with kicking the natives off the land so that America could have it. No, that was pretty common practice for most nations to do when they encountered unfamiliar peoples. What had confused him had been the mention that these natives just moved further west when that happened. America made it sound like there was very little resistance and Ivan had to seriously wonder what kind of people these “Indians” were to just move on without a huge fight. If some foreign settlers were trying to kick his people out of their lands, Ivan liked to think that his population would fight to the last man to defend their homeland. Or at the very least, that they would continue to try and fight until they could re-claim their lands once more. These natives that America had mentioned surely sounded spineless to just passively move westward and allow the settlers to take their lands.
The description of America’s westward expansion underlined Ivan’s beliefs though that the strong deserved to have more land and resources. If the natives had not been powerful or fierce enough to put up a big enough fight, then they must have deserved to be pushed from their lands. He had kept the thoughts to himself though as he and America had made their way through the town. It sounded like a good point of conversation to have later on, perhaps after they had had something to drink.
"Is there a land with no alcohol?"
Ivan took that to be a good sign. If America was asking, then that surely meant that he did indeed possess alcohol of some sorts. The Russian felt like shuddering at the thought of a land without any sort of spirits. So far in his travels, every land he had been to had had some sort of alcohol. Even if it wasn’t always very strong or flavorful. As far as he knew, he and his neighbors still had the best when it came to drinks, but at least liquor seemed to be something universal. He decided that any land without would surely not be any place he would want to visit. “I don’t think Hell has any alcohol. Though I am not sure if that classifies as an actual land in the same sense.” he stated thoughtfully.
The pale blonde’s expression brightened at the idea that they might have imported vodka from his house around this place. It did make sense, since this was a major trade city. Surely his people had brought some of the heavenly liquor over to trade with America’s people. In Ivan’s opinion, it was one of the best things he could offer through trade.
Keeping pace with America, Ivan continued to stare with interest at the signs on the wooden structures they passed. They seemed to rough on the outside, and their design was so very simplistic and foreign looking. Nothing at all like the painted, elaborately designed buildings of his capitol city of St. Petersburg. But they did sort of resemble the buildings that could be found out in the countryside of his homeland. The sort of buildings that the lower classes would inhabit. Following America inside one of the buildings, he had to allow his eyes a moment to adjust to the sudden dimness.
There was a man behind the bar speaking English at them, and Ivan focused on him curiously. The man seemed to have been asking a question, and the Russian was suddenly very glad that America was there to answer it. His violet eyes turned away from the slightly chunky barkeep while America combated the question with his own string of what sounded to Ivan like quickly spoken gibberish. The only word he could make out was “vodka,” which he pieced together that America was asking about.
While he waited, Ivan let his eyes wander around the darkened room, taking in as much detail as he could. There were a variety of different people sitting about at the tables and bar, mostly men dressed in browns and darker shades. Casting a glance back to America, he realized that none of the others were wearing a uniform like his new trade partner.
"That's vodka?"
Ivan looked to the bottle that the barkeeper had presented to them and gave a nod. “Да. That’s it.” It was pleasing to see some familiar lettering amongst all the foreignness. “You should try some, America. I am sure that in Heaven, the rivers run with this stuff.” He stared at the bottle for a moment in much the same manner that a treasure hunter would stare at a solid gold statue. It was a cheaper made type of vodka, the kind that his people would sometimes flavor with things like anise to get rid of the bitter taste from impurities. Not that Ivan cared. Vodka was vodka, and he could care less right now as to what quality it was. Besides, he had tasted many types over the years, and the kinds his peasantry liked to drink were really not much different than the kinds his nobility would have. Taking the bottle into his own hands, he wasted no time in opening it and taking a drink of the burning liquor while the barkeeper returned with whatever it was that America had ordered to drink. _______________________________ ((Ivan is really naive too, so no worries. XD He has such limited knowledge about the conflicts between the settlers and native Americans, so he is purely going by what Alfred says and how he words things.))
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Post by America on Jul 27, 2011 17:38:12 GMT -5
Date: August, 1778 Charles Town, South CarolinaRussia looked almost as dismayed about the idea of a land with no alcohol as Alfred was. It wasn't like he swam in the stuff or anything himself, but it was as much a basic necessity as food or good water.
"I don’t think Hell has any alcohol. Though I am not sure if that classifies as an actual land in the same sense.” [/color] "Sounds about right for eternal damnation,"[/color] Alfred replied with a shudder of his own. Putting the topic aside once they entered the tavern, Alfred watched Russia examining the bottle of potential vodka. That smile on the other nation's face (which didn't seem to leave, so far as Alfred had seen thus far...it was great to meet someone who was always so cheerful!) brightened as Russia studied the strange lettering. “Да. That’s it.”[/color] Da again...that meant yes, so it was vodka. Strange, how colorless it was. Alfred would have mistaken it for a bottle of water if he didn't have Russia here to tell him otherwise. "You should try some, America. I am sure that in Heaven, the rivers run with this stuff.”[/color] Flowing rivers of vodka? That fell in line so neatly with Alfred's thoughts of the stuff looking just like water that he couldn't help but chuckle at the mental image. "With that kind of praise, I can easily believe it!"[/color] Alfred replied with a smile. As Russia helped himself to a first gulp from the vodka bottle, the barkeep came back with Alfred's beer. The tankard's contents certainly looked appealing enough, though the expression on the barkeep's face did make him wonder. "This is our local harvest brew," the barkeep told Alfred as he set the frothy tankard down. "Thanks,"[/color] Alfred replied, picking the wooden drinkware up carefully to avoid spilling any, "Say, you wouldn't happen to have any more of that stuff would you?"[/color] Alfred inclined his head in the direction of Russia's bottle. The barkeep looked thoughtful for a moment, clearly mentally reviewing his stores. "Not a lot: not much call for it," the man eventually replied, "And unless you've got something better to barter with than that northern rubbish..."Sighing, Alfred shook his head. Really? Did they really have to call his new money rubbish? That was just rude. At least Russia didn't understand English, so Alfred wasn't totally embarrassed in front of his new friend here. "Never mind,"[/color] Alfred said. Stepping back from the bar, Alfred spotted a table in a nice, shady corner of the room. "Let's sit over there, Russia,"[/color] Alfred said as he switched back to the common language, pointing at the empty table. The barkeep clearly didn't understand Shaykomay, and Alfred felt slightly smug when the man turned to attend to his own business, plans of listening in to what the continental soldier and his strange foreign companion were saying clearly thwarted. Picking his way over to the table, Alfred set his tankard of beer down and struggled out of his heavy uniform coat before sitting down.[/center]
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Post by Russia on Jul 28, 2011 16:08:04 GMT -5
"With that kind of praise, I can easily believe it!"
The American’s remark was still ringing in his ears even as he took one more quick swig from the bottle. He actually felt sorry for the colony, having never tasted something as wonderful as vodka before. Really, when it came to his favorite drink, Ivan could go on and on about how great it was. He could easily spend hours praising the clear liquor if he wanted to. He sort of doubted that America would want to sit through that right now though.
Lowering the bottle, Ivan turned his attention to America again, and the wooden tankard he was holding in his hand. It was some sort of beer, that much he was certain of. Ivan never had been much of a beer drinker, as he found the stuff to be far too watery and weak. It wasn’t even alcohol really in his opinion, and he had to wonder what was wrong with America for picking such a beverage when the bar had things like vodka in it. It must have been Arthur’s influence that was stopping him from having good taste in liquor. Ivan remembered briefly visiting England and being disappointed with the stuff they were passing off as alcoholic. But America was a young nation-or at least, he was sure to be one officially once he beat England- so there was still hope for him yet. Russia was quick to decide that so long as he was visiting he would attempt to show his new trade partner what “good” alcohol was.
America was saying something to the barkeep again, and nodding towards Ivan’s drink. The stocky Russian looked to his bottle briefly before turning his gaze back to the two other men almost questioningly. He decided that the two of them must have been discussing how great vodka was. It seemed sensible to him to make such an assumption about their conversation.
"Let's sit over there, Russia.”
The Russian’s violet eyes followed his friend’s gesture over to an empty table. It would be nice to sit down. Though he was not tired at all physically, the heat had a way of making him feel a bit lazier than usual. Without direct sunlight, the tavern was a bit cooler than outside, but not by much. Following America to the table, Ivan could feel himself getting sweaty from wearing such thick clothing. Apparently America was getting hot as well, as he was quick to remove his own coat after setting his beer down.
Sitting down across from America, the large Russian struggled out of his coat as well. The action made the room a little more bearable, even though he was still wearing a heavy military uniform. Loosening his scarf until it hung like a necklace around his throat, the stocky nation studied America for a moment in silence, taking another gulp of the vodka. He always had a ton of questions when meeting new nations. The hard part was figuring out what to ask first.
“Would you like to try a drink?” He asked, holding out the bottle to his new friend. It would be sad for America to sit around in a tavern without even trying any vodka after all. And since the barkeeper must have wanted to keep all the other bottles he must have had to himself, it only made sense that Russia would be nice and offer a drink off his.
“That barkeeper must be hoarding all the other bottles of vodka, to not give you one too.” The Russian mused aloud. “Not that I can blame him in a way, it is good stuff and I am not usually one to share either.” A look of wild curiosity suddenly emerged on his soft, boyish features as he decided on a exotic topic to ask America about first. “America? What are these “Indians” you are displacing like? I know you implied that they are pretty weak, but I am curious. Why do you call them Indians when they are not from India?” _________________________________ ((Russia can be surprisingly chatty when he wants to know something. He also can come up with the most random of topics. XD))
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Post by America on Aug 2, 2011 15:52:51 GMT -5
Date: August, 1778 Charles Town, South CarolinaOnce his coat was slung over the back of the chair, Alfred settled down with a contented sigh. That felt so much better...the thick coat had been a godsend earlier in the year, but now that it was summer and he was in Charles Town, the heavy stuff was almost more trouble than it was worth. And if Alfred was lucky, he might get to winter in Europe this year thanks to France's invitation...while General Washington would surely not allow a repeat of Valley Forge, it was nice to know that he'd be far away just in case.
'I wonder if Russia's house is near France's house,' [/color] Alfred idly wondered as he sipped the beer and watched Russia taking off his own heavy coat, 'It'd be great if I could visit his house too, as long as I'm already over there. ...It must be close, Europe's not that big.'[/color] The beer was good, at least as far as Alfred's limited expertise in beer-drinking told him. And Russia really seemed to adore his vodka, so in all it was probably money well-spent. "Would you like to try a drink?”[/color] Speaking of Russia and his vodka, Alfred blinked as the other nation offered him a drink from the bottle. And truthfully, Alfred was curious about what something so clear-looking tasted like... "Uh, sure,"[/color] Alfred replied, taking the bottle. Russia had just been gulping the stuff down, but Alfred decided to take a more restrained mouthful. It was a good thing, because he immediately discovered that vodka burned like hell. Quickly putting the bottle back on the table, Alfred forced himself to swallow and felt the burn continuing all the way down...and when it finally felt safe to open his mouth, all Alfred could do was cough. Damn...and Russia just chugged this stuff down like it was nothing?! Alfred's eyes were watering and as he wiped his face on his sleeve, he only barely caught what Russia was saying now. Something about the bartender? ...Alfred couldn't correct the other nation at the moment and even if he did, the facts were all kind of embarrassing. Therefore Alfred decided to let Russia's words stand. "That...I think stuff's an acquired taste,"[/color] Alfred managed to stammer out in the end once his mouth started working properly again. Fortunately, Russia was already moving on to another topic. "America? What are these “Indians” you are displacing like? I know you implied that they are pretty weak, but I am curious. Why do you call them Indians when they are not from India?”[/color] He'd implied they were weak? Indians weren't exactly weak, they just weren't strong all the time. ...Well, that wasn't what Russia was asking anyway. Alfred took another sip of his beer, letting it cool the raw burn in his throat from the vodka. "People were already calling them that by the time I was born,"[/color] Alfred gradually replied, struggling to remember the reason, "But...I think it's Spain's fault. Apparently he started calling them Indians because he thought he'd reached the Indies, or something like that? That's what I was told."[/color] More specifically, England had told him that story. While the deliberate stabs to Spain's intelligence (or lack thereof) were probably embellishments, Alfred was well aware that no one in Europe had expected to find entirely new continents by sailing westward. Not sailing over the edge of the world was supposed to be shocking enough...it all sounded stupid to him. If Alfred had been a European country, he would have sailed west as soon as he had ships! How else would he find out what was out there? "It's easier to call them Indians anyway. There's way too many tribes and they all have different names and languages and things,"[/color] Alfred belatedly added, "I can barely keep them all straight myself."[/color] Now was probably as good a time as any to ask... "Do you have things like Indians in your house, Russia? I guess there aren't any in most of Europe, but what about where you are?"[/color][/center] ---- - And once again, Alfred fails at Geography~ XD
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