Thirty-First PSI

[a_gentle_boy]

[voice, private to Rin Kagamine, Shiraasan, Tavros, and Nanashi]
I  . . . I'm not sure what came over me.  I guess it must have been the town playing tricks again, but I was feeling really strange last week.  I'm really sorry.  Especially to you, Tavros.  We only just met and, um.  You're not even a girl I don't think.  I-I promise I don't actually like any of you, so please don't worry about that kind of thing. 

I mean! Wait!   I do like you, all of you, a lot!  Just  Not.  Um.   You know.  Ah.  Not like...... N-Not ............... I'm just going to apologize and hang up now.

[action]
1.  [It is early Saturday morning and Lucas is walking a dog down the street.  This is standard fare for Lucas's weekends, but Lucas appears significantly more animated than usual as he talks aloud, seemingly to himself.  But actually . . . It's pretty clear he seems to think he's holding a conversation with someone.  The dog is, of course, welcome to tag as well.]

2. [It is early Monday morning on the way to school and there are a few birds sitting on top of Lucas's head and shoulders, tweeting merrily away.  Once again, he appears engrossed in a conversation.]

3. [I'm just going to outright say it.  If you are an animal or own an animal, Lucas wants to talk to you/it.]

4. [In the Mayfield Library, Lucas has a table all to himself and is frowning a little as he concentrates on the task before him.  There are photographs and hand-drawn pictures of people scattered all across -- much more of the latter.  There are at least 30 different drawings, each of probably unfamiliar people.  A blond man with a scarf and a cigarette and a dark-haired young woman feature prominently among them.  ....What Lucas appears to be doing is fitting these pictures into an elegant notebook of some sort.]

Comments

[a-gentle-boy.livejournal.com]

I have! I know him and Mr. Netherlands started to run a cafe the first time they were both here . . . And I saw Mr. Japan in the park again the other day. I didn't know the two of you were related, though.

[He decides, after a few moments of thinking, that being related must mean being right next to each other. Or something.]

Thanks.

[And he takes the papers.]

[naicha]

_{[ She stands up and takes a seat right next to him. ]}

We lived together for some time, you know! He taught me a lot of things. He said that he's known the Netherlands for more than four hundred years! That's almost as old as I am, so you can tell they're really grandpas.

[a-gentle-boy.livejournal.com]

I looked up his history once, but I got a little lost after the first fifty years or so. I can't imagine how you keep track of things for that long . . .

[naicha]

Me neither. Japan's, um, two thousand and. And. Something. But he still remembers everything, I think! He can't remember the names of the other nations, though.

_{[ She laughs and takes a look at his drawings again. ]}

So you're friends with the Netherlands...

[a-gentle-boy.livejournal.com]

[Lucas feels the sudden need to cover up his drawings, but refrains from doing so. He nods, a little hesitantly, instead.]

We were . . . close. Back when he was here. [Back when you still remembered.] It's been a few months now, but . . . y-yes. He's still . . . He's still my friend.

[naicha]

_{[ And she's oblivious to that. ]}

I don't know a lot about the Netherlands, but I know he's really nice to kids.

_{[ She pouts. ]} I didn't like him at first when I was a kid, though. _{[ A smile. ]} But the situation was a little different, so yeah! He had to go away all of a sudden that time.

[a-gentle-boy.livejournal.com]

I'd like to hear more about that . . . If you don't mind talking, I mean.

[naicha]

Well... This was when I was little. Teacher was having his own problems at the time, too. Another people invaded the country, and teacher had to accept his new emperor. But some people didn't like him. Some of them went to my island and drove the Netherlands away.

The Netherlands and I fought a lot, but I didn't want teacher around either.

[a-gentle-boy.livejournal.com]

Who is 'Teacher'?

[naicha]

Everyone calls him China. He lives next to me, he's always cranky and he's really old. That's why he's "Teacher."

His people keep bringing his problems to my house.

[a-gentle-boy.livejournal.com]

That must be a little annoying. He sounds a little like a neighbor I once had . . .

[naicha]

Ooh, what about him? Did he try to scare you with his missiles and stuff, too!?

[a-gentle-boy.livejournal.com]

. . . Um.

Mostly, he just told us that to put up a better fence and to keep our sheep off his property.

[naicha]

Oh. _{[ deflates... and scratches her cheek ]} Well, there'll always be neighbors like that!

There wasn't much the Netherlands could do after Teacher arrived, so he went back to Indonesia. Ah, that's another country. They lived with the Netherlands for a while, too. Um, it was the Age of Exploration! Or something? I know the Netherlands was busy going around the world at that time. That's also when he made friends with Japan.

He didn't really stay long, but he definitely changed me! ... somehow.

[a-gentle-boy.livejournal.com]

We moved away after that further from the town and got a bigger farm. But, um. So even though you fought, did you like the Netherlands at all?

[naicha]

_{[ She sits back. ]} His taxes were too high. _{[ ... Twiddles her thumbs. ]} He was alright.

Well, he's tons better than teacher! _{[ Everyone is. ]} Even if he looks scary.

[a-gentle-boy.livejournal.com]

((Noooo LJ ate my response. T_T Geez, I apologize.))

[Lucas seems a little relieved at that. His OTP is still intact, anyway. A bit of a laugh in his voice, he responds quickly.]

I'm glad the two of you are on good terms, though. . . . And he does, a little, doesn't he? It must be to balance out how nice he is inside . . .

[which netherlands did you meet, lucas]

[naicha]

_{((It's alright!))}

Nice? _{[ Lucas what are you talking about... ]} He did give me those submarines once. He said he wouldn't give me any more after that. _{[ laughs ]} But I guess no one would.

_{[ Her tone is a little sad, but she quickly covers it up. ]}

Ahaha, it sounds like you two were really close. What was he like? Here.

[a-gentle-boy.livejournal.com]

Submarines? ...

Um. He was . . . Well. He was nice. He was always looking out for me. He never thought about himself first. He did a lot of brave things and put himself in danger a lot to try and fight the town . . . I'm not sure what else to say.

He was my friend.

[naicha]

Mm. _{[ She nods. ]}

Is that why you're drawing him? _{[ She moves her chair closer to get a better look. ]} For that project you were talking about.

[a-gentle-boy.livejournal.com]

These? Oh, no. These are all pictures I drew before . . .

[naicha]

Ooh. _{[ She doesn't say anything for a while, she just looks at the drawings. ]} You're pretty good!

_{[ regardless of skill level, she'd still same the same! ]}

Can I see? _{[ The rest, she means. ]}

[a-gentle-boy.livejournal.com]

I-I'm not really, but thanks . . . You can go ahead. You're right, though - I was seeing how well they fit into a notebook . . .

[The pictures are probably all of people Taiwan doesn't know. However, Taiwan herself is in a few.]

[naicha]

_{[ It's true, she doesn't know any of them at all. Actually, ]} I've seen some of these people before, but they were already...

_{[ She slowly flips through the pictures, going "ooh" and "aah" at each one. When she sees someone familiar, she stops. ]}

Wah! _{[ She points at one drawing of her and looks at Lucas. ]} Is this me?

[a-gentle-boy.livejournal.com]

[Lucas nods a little at her first statement, then nods more emphatically at her question.]

It is!

[And he searches a little before taking another one out. This one is of three people.]

You, the Netherlands, and a girl named Mindy used to be a family. Mindy's still here . . .