Coming "Home" (Austria)

[lili]

August 2, 1919
Outskirts of Vienna, Austria

Finally, her destination was in sight. The journey had been smooth and without bad weather, but excruciatingly slow. Liechtenstein wondered if it was because of her nation’s weakness because of the war, leading her mind straight to the unfortunate reason for her visit to Austria’s--and formerly her--home: her breaking of their customs treaty.

It was necessary for her country’s survival, but it still tugged at her heart. She’d stayed with Austria for centuries and was finally leaving for--what she was certain was--forever. Needless to say, Lili had nearly turned around multiple times; there had been nothing to distract herself from her thoughts, and the majority of the time, her emotions dictate her actions. However, she had realized it was time to think like a nation--she’d rarely needed to make major decisions that affected her state--and vowed not to turn tail and run or go down without a fight. In spite of this, standing meters away from the entrance, those instincts of “go home!” resurged until they were gradually suppressed again.

Though she herself had only a humble home back in Liechtenstein and was in no place to criticize, she couldn’t help but notice the poor condition of the grounds. The usually uniform and neatly-trimmed trees at the gates seemed scragglier than she remembered, and the intimidating but refined iron gates themselves had been left open. Lili’s brows furrowed in thought. Austria couldn’t have known she was coming; she hadn’t sent a letter ahead of time, though she knew she probably should have and anticipated a light scolding for her appearance without warning or invitation.

Her senses attentive, she warily passed through and approached the large manor. There were few signs of life anywhere around the exterior of the familiar home, which was radically different from the last time she’d been there. Liechtenstein noticed the absence of two or three of the aristocrat’s automobiles; only one remained, parked under a tree. It had seemed to accumulate leaves and sticks that had most likely dropped from the branches above it. She couldn’t help but wonder when it was used last, but her attention was pulled away from the underused vehicle when she stumbled on a rock. In and of itself the occurrence wasn’t all that strange, but never before had she seen pebbles and other debris scattered along the path to the façade of the house. Her uncle figure always made sure the servant-nations had completely cleared the driveway and paths to and around the grounds.

Suddenly, every rational cell in her body was telling her to turn around and go home, that something wasn’t right. However, it was that very reason that made her want to poke around just a bit and investigate. Maybe Lili could figure out what had caused this…ruin, if it could be called that. When her mind jumped to war and the possibility that the mansion had been attacked, her mind was essentially made up.

Her curiosity won the better of her; she cautiously swept her gaze around the front of the estate to verify that she was indeed alone. After making sure of this, she broke off from the walkway leading to the front door and onto a brick-laid path that wandered through the modest but elegant garden. To her dismay, the conditions of the grounds only worsened. It was apparent that Austria was allowing the gardener--Eva couldn’t remember if it was Croatia or Slovenia--to slack off; fallen leaves and dirt littered the path. When she looked for someone tending to the overgrown jungle, even getting on her tiptoes as if it’d help her see, there wasn’t a single nation or human in sight. Her frown deepened slightly in curiosity. Something had definitely happened while she was away to account for such a sight.

Not wishing or needing to see any more, Liechtenstein returned to the front. She tentatively approached the main entrance, feeling as if she were entering an abandoned, haunted manor. Too busy absorbing more of her surroundings, namely the closed curtains, the girl gracelessly stumbled on the last step. After righting herself, she boldly confronted the door and nearly touched it with her knuckles, forgetting for a moment that there was indeed a door knocker. But first, she looked down at the state of her appearance.

Her fuchsia dress was dusty from the dirt roads as well as a lack of washing and tattered from everyday wear and tear, not in the least presentable. Eva attempted to brush it off, but to no avail. Her shoes were also completely unacceptable by any standards, scuffed up and caked with mud in places. She could only imagine what her face and hair looked like; surely she had a dull pallor to her face, the color in her face drained, and her hair limp and falling out of the twin braids. Deciding decency was beyond her power, she temporarily disregarded it and knocked a few times.

After the three curt raps, she released the handle and took a small step backwards. Clasping her hands behind her back, she waited for someone to answer the door. However, that brought up the question: who? Miss Hungary? The slightly irritable Mr. Czechia? Certainly not Austria himself, he was far too classy for that. Liechtenstein shook her head to clear the nagging, negative possibility that it would be, and listened for the sound of footsteps inside.

[[OOC: I'm so sorry this took so long! I've had a little less than half written for weeks, but studying and procrastinating took up a lot of my time. Also, title is stupid but I like that song by P. Diddy. ^^; Thank you for putting up with my slowness and lameness!]]

[Austria]

Silence…

Silence filled the many rooms of the rather large manor. The only sound breaking the depressing and painful silence was the rolling of the wheels of a wheelchair. The one on the wheelchair was none-other than Austria. The once mighty empire of Central Europe, heir to the Holy Roman Empire, and Great European Power, now was a puny, pathetic, weak little Republic. He spat out his new ‘title’ as if it was an insult. After all, he had been one of the last bastions of Absolutism in Europe. It was shameful that his people had kicked out the only thing that didn’t simply make them Germans, the Habsburg dynasty. He felt insulted that his people tried to unite with his northern neighbour. It actually felt like (what he hoped was) a significant minority of his people actually was denying his existence. Perhaps that was literally true since that supposed minority was able to kick the Habsburg family out of the country and strip every noble of his titles, including him, the cursed nation. No more can he be addressed as ‘Lord Edelstein’ or his lover as… He quickly shook his head. Now was certainly not the time…

It was with these bitter thoughts that Roderich rode his way through the long, empty hallways of the manor, walls and floors covered with a visible layer of dust. If it wasn’t for this blasted wheelchair, he could at least occupy himself with cleaning the oversized manor. Sadly, being stuck in his wheelchair meant that he was unable to do any housework except for basic cooking. He could still play most of his instruments, but his bitter, shameful, and simply sad mood kept him from playing; knowing that any sound that he would play would turn into a depressing song. As much as he tried to keep his usual stoic allure, the mask was too fragile at the moment and he knew that it could break at any moment. Therefore, he contents himself at riding around the dust-covered manor, drowning himself in blissful nostalgia… or alcohol.

Ah, yes, alcohol. Sometimes man’s best companion, sometimes his worse. It seemed like silly idea that the uptight, noble aristocrat had a weak spot for alcohol. Although this was true to a certain extent since the Austrian rarely drank any alcohol, if at all. However, even the strongest person emotionally had a breaking point. Roderich had hit rock-bottom, he had nobody to turn to (not that his pride would allow that anyways) and he couldn’t do anything by himself. Therefore, as much as he hated himself for it, alcohol seemed like the only escape recently.

Nothing was helping that recently. A moment ago, he was listening to the radio in his study. Of course, that was a terrible idea to begin with, but he was unable to fight his worries about his eastern neighbour. As expected, what he heard was far from reassuring. It seems that Romania was defeating Hungary and there was nothing he could do about it. He had left the room calmly, though not bothering to turn off the radio as he headed for the living room, travelling through the thick layer of dust. He tried to remain as calm as he could as he travelled through the hallways of the manor. He entered the living room, awkwardly trying to open the door while in his wheelchair. He quickly spun his wheelchair towards the liquor cabinet that was, until now, simply a decoration. He reached for the first bottle he found, which happened to be a bottle of Polish vodka (probably an old gift from Feliks, he assumed) and a glass. Before he poured the alcohol, however, his eyes caught a shining glint. He sighed as the glint was the wedding band around his ring finger. He found himself lucky that the Entente, at the very least, did not take it away from him. It was one of the few possessions that he was able to keep after the debacle of these past years.

As he attempted to pour the tempting liquid again, he was interrupted once more. This time, however, it was the soft knocking of the door that was the cause of this interruption. He quickly shoved the bottle and glass back into the cabinet, unwilling to be caught in such a humiliating act (for him, at least). As he began to head to the entrance of the manor, he began to wonder who it could be. It certainly couldn’t be Elizaveta, as much as he’d wish for that, not anyone from his now-collapsed Empire for that matter. As he approached the front door, however, he started to realise who it could be. He stopped his wheelchair in front of the door, manoeuvring so that he could open the door without having the chair blocking the door. He slowly opened the door, finally revealing the young woman standing outside the door.

“… Good day, Eva. Do come in…” he said, his voice soft yet monotone and emotionless. Perhaps he didn’t lose his stoic mask after all…

Roderich rolled his wheelchair aside in order to allow her inside the dusty manor. Lili was like a niece to him and deep inside, he was extremely glad to see her unharmed. However, worry and anxiety settled. She obviously had a reason to come at such a random time, and without any previous notice.

“Forgive me, you’ve… uhm… caught me at a very bad time. I wish I could be a little more hospitable…” he said, his voice still emotionless as he looked around the main hall, “Would you like something? There is barely anything here but I do have a little bit of tea left, if you’d like…” he offered. He did genuinely feel bad about not being able to accommodate her properly as he usually did with guests. It was hard to shake off the shame he felt at the moment while trying to hide it from his visitor at the same time.

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(( OOC: Your post was excellent. No need to be so self-deprecating about it, Lili. I really hope you don't mind the heavily implied AusHun, it was just impossible for me to ignore that considering the context. As for Aus and alcohol, that's just my headcannon since Austria is going through really bad times after World War I. I'm afraid it might be a hard for you to reply, though. orz ))

[lili]

Liechtenstein’s pulse jumped at the sudden clicking of the handle. The lack of the usual gentle thudding on the opposite side of the wall mystified her, if not concerned her and verified that there was most definitely something wrong. Her restless imagination briefly wondered if there was a ghost in his house, or worse: that Austria himself was the ghost. Her rationality dismissed the idea immediately, of course.

Meanwhile, the door swung open ever-so-slowly, causing the girl to subconsciously take a half-step back. For half of a second, she wondered if she still had time to flee, but her conscience absolutely refused and chastised her. Imagine how rude that would be; what if someone knocked on your door and then simply left?[/color] Lili couldn’t help but blush slightly with sheepishness, feeling rather cowardly all of a sudden. She didn’t have time to think on it, however, when the identity of the doorman was revealed.

Eva, thinking quickly, used the backwards motion to drop into a quick curtsy the moment she saw him and kept her eyes downcast. It wasn’t until she raised her gaze momentarily to meet his when she realized Austria himself had answered the door, and just a second later that her face was on the same level as hers. Feeling somewhat uncomfortable, she quickly stood again and averted her eyes.

Though she’d retracted her gaze, the disappointed and shocked expression that had flickered across her face was irrevocable.

Needless to say, it was a shock to the girl; he looked so…weak. Liechtenstein could tell despite his attempts to keep appearances that he wasn’t taking the best care of himself or his house--not that he could with the wheelchair. Her heart clenched at the simple thought of her longtime guardian needing one, but seeing it was devastating. He was the Holy Roman Empire, the Habsburgs, the Austrian Empire; what happened? Of course, Lili knew that he’d lost wars before, but as far as she could remember, it’d never been as serious as this.

“…Good day, Eva. Do come in…”

He’d never been especially affectionate or enthusiastic (except for music and Miss Hungary) before, but he seemed so lifeless and distant to the blonde. Afraid to offend the defeated nation, she offered a weak smile, looking back at him but not quite able to meet his eyes. She replied with a soft and polite, “Good day, Mr. Roderich.”

Eva could never call Austria--or anyone else--by their human or country name only, it just seemed disrespectful. Adding a “Mr.” or “Miss” was second nature, even with Roderich, whom she’d known and lived with for essentially forever. Despite this, he seemed almost like a stranger now, and far older than he was when she left him only years before.

Dismissing the impolite thoughts, she stepped across the threshold into the grand house that was easily recognizable yet very different. It was dust-covered nearly everywhere, but especially the tops of furniture or other artifacts out of the handicapped Austrian’s reach. Eva would have normally given a well-mannered comment about the wonderful condition of the manor or another mindless but polite compliment, but instead remained silent. As she tried to ignore the spider weaving its web in a nearby corner, Roderich spoke again.

“Forgive me, you’ve… uhm… caught me at a very bad time. I wish I could be a little more hospitable…”

The answer was automatic and immediate, complete with ashamed, flushed cheeks. “Oh, no, I’m sorry to intrude.” Eva barely kept herself from blurting out the reason for the visit, guilt evident in the quiet apology.

“Would you like something? There is barely anything here but I do have a little bit of tea left, if you’d like…”

Liechtenstein hesitated at the simple question. Would it be more polite to accept, as she was taught to do, or graciously turn the offer down so she didn’t waste his few resources? After fidgeting for a moment, realizing what she was doing, and hurriedly ceasing the nervous action, she folded her hands. In an attempt to play it safe, she didn’t give a definitive answer. “I-I don’t want to trouble you,” -- though she knew she already was -- “but if you wanted some, that would be fine.”

Her mind was yelling “coward’s answer!” at her, but she already knew she was one. Why else would she withdraw her customs union with Austria? To protect her own skin.

Eva’s attention directed to the wheelchair again, she instinctively moved to stand behind him and held onto the back of the chair. While she was there, he would not wheel himself around; it was almost as if she was trying to make up for what she would have to tell him. “Please, allow me.” she murmured kindheartedly before slowly guiding them into the sitting room. Turning from the main hall, she couldn’t help but notice how unused it seemed, as if there was no one else there.

Where is everyone? she suddenly wondered, recalling her prior curiosity of the subject. It certainly didn’t seem like any of the servants or even Hungary were around by the state of the room and the rest of the manor. It wasn’t in such bad a shape as to guess that it’d been uninhabited for over a year, but it had definitely been a few months since the place had been properly taken care of. Lili wasn’t about to question it, but began to wonder if the war had contributed to the sight before her.

[[OOC: Sorry, bad habit. Your post was awesome, too! Poor Roddy~ And I again apologize for the wait. ><]][/size]

[Austria]

Roderich closed the door slowly and a little awkwardly after the blonde girl had stepped inside. He had to admit that he found it quite shameful that Liechtenstein had to see him in such a state. On the other hand, he was a little glad that it was her of all the other nations that could have seen him. At least, she wouldn’t make fun of him or tease him. She always had been a kind and quiet girl; she wouldn’t openly comment on anything unless she would be asked to.

“Oh, no, I’m sorry to intrude.”

“Don’t be.” he simply replies. To be honest, it felt rather good to have someone after almost a year of basically locking himself in his estate in utter loneliness. However, he couldn’t help but notice the shame and guilt in her voice that was honestly not hard to notice despite how quiet she always is. He shrugs it off for now. To be honest, he really doesn’t want to think about it at the moment. His mind was already as tormented as it is, he really didn’t want even more anxiety than he already had.

“I-I don’t want to trouble you, but if you wanted some, that would be fine.”

The Austrian only nodded at that, but he couldn’t help but sigh at her answer. It was expected from her, yes, but… did he really look that pitiful? It hurt him a little to think that. Then again, what did he expect? No other nation had been reduced to such a sad state. It didn’t help considering that, barely a few years ago, he was one of Europe’s Great Power. Perhaps the weakest of them all, yes, but a great power nonetheless. No country had gone from the top to the nearly-complete bottom in only a few years. Considering how he was stuck on his wheelchair, it was obvious how strong the shock had been for the Austrian. The fact that he had yet to recover despite his powers as a nation proved that not only the country itself was still in a crisis, but Roderich was as well.

“Please, allow me.”

The Austrian was stunned as Eva grabbed the back of his chair. He couldn’t help it; it was the first act of kindness he had received in almost a year. He found it surprising how that feeling became such a foreign one, but he slowly and somewhat reluctantly pulled his arms off the wheel of his chair and folded them on his lap. Usually, his pride would take over and claim that he doesn’t need her help but… he doesn’t want to lie to her. He does need her help and such a kind act was more than welcomed in his current state, but he can’t shake off the awkward feeling of it. Suddenly, he remembers the guilt and shame in her voice from earlier, and he can’t help but make a connection. He tries to shake off those thoughts; Lili had always been a kind girl, after all. However, he realises that her visit was unannounced. Liechtenstein would rarely leave her home unless there was a problem in the first place. For a moment, he can’t help but feel suspicious of her visit. His mouth opened for a moment to finally ask the reason of her visit, but his mouth closed without a word said. ‘If Eva has something to tell me, then she will have to say it by herself.’ he thought. She had to defeat her shyness by herself, especially if the reason of her visit was political, which was most likely.

With that, he let out a sigh instead of words as he let Liechtenstein guide his chair to the sitting room. He couldn’t help but relax in his chair. Suddenly, he found himself wishing that someone would be willing to help him out every day like this. Someone like… He shook his head before finishing that thought, as if trying to literally shake the thought out of his mind. They entered the sitting room and, as expected, it was in the same shape as the previous room they were in: Almost completely covered in dust. The room was simply unused. It wasn’t surprising considering his current state, but he couldn’t help but feel shameful that she had to see it in such a state.

“Can you take us to the kitchen, please?” he asked. At least, the kitchen was most likely the room that was the cleanest and the most used beside his bedroom. The place was surprisingly dusted off, with the exception for the unreachable cabinets and the floor. Although the kitchen was visibly the least dusty room in the estate, the windows did look out to the now-neglected gardens of the inner courtyard. There was always a depressing feeling every time he looked at it nowadays, as he couldn’t help but remember how lively it once looked. However, he had promised himself that once he got out of his damned chair, he was going bring new life to the dead gardens. It will take him a long time before he can bring them back to their previous glory. ‘One day, the gardens will look as majestic as they used to.’ he told himself in a surprisingly optimistic manner.

Roderich took control of his wheelchair once against and went behind the counter of the kitchen, taking out a kettle from one of the reachable cabinets and some tea leaves from a separate pot. “I’m truly sorry that you had to see the place in such a mess, Eva.” he told her, his voice still quiet as earlier. “I hope that you understand, however.” He assumed that he didn’t have to explain any further, as it was dead-obvious why it was so.

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(( OOC: ... I really wish I had an excuse for how long I took, but I don't. I really hope you like the post, though. I had lots of troubles writting it. :'D ))