[ video ]

[watchful_knight]

[Lithuania is sitting on the windowsill, looking outside. He's holding the communicator in his hands, looking down at it with distant eyes.]

Sometimes I think that the greatest ability of humans, right after compassion, is the ability to conceive children.

[There's a little pause, as if the next words were an afterthought.] I sometimes have to

Comments

[mashespotatoes]

Children would be such a big responsibility.

[watchful_knight]

But a wonderful one. ...And I guess that we, as nations, should be used to responsibility by now, don't you think?

[mashespotatoes]

I think it's a different kind of responsibility. With our citizens, it's less...personal, if you will? That's not quite the shade of meaning I'm going for, but because there are so many of them the worries we have for them are on a much broader spectrum. With a child, there are so many different things you have to worry about, on an individual level.

[watchful_knight]

Plus there is a bit more freedom in choosing. If you want to have them or not. Not much, but you can always go for a lifestyle that doesn't include children. [i.e. be a monk or priest. Or nun.]

[skater_lynx]

Terrifying. Stupid. Thrilling. Fun. Powerful. It's pretty much everything all at once topped on top of responsibility.

[watchful_knight]

You have a child back home?

[skater_lynx]

Yeah~ Let's go with that.

[watchful_knight]

[Ignoring the underlying meaning, he didn't mean to pry and make the subject an uncomfortable one.]

Did you have ones here?

[Voice, Private]

[reckless_eagle]

[Poland thinks that he should say something to this. It's just that...]

[The problem is, he absolutely agrees--he thinks it's amazing, and loves children, and loved having Nitori as their child. Would love to have children of his own.]

[And knows that, even if God and everyone else approves of them, he'll still never be able to do that. Never be able to give that to Lithuania, and that... feels more selfish than even he is capable of being, sometimes. He'd sort of avoided the thought before, because he just doesn't know what to do about it.]

[He tries to say something, a couple of times-- "Yeah", "I", "um", a couple of other false starts. Finally, he gives up and goes quiet.]

[Voice, Private]

[watchful_knight]

[He didn't mean to do that. Didn't mean to make Poland sad... Not like this.

He's not sure what to say either, there are so many things, and he doesn't know where to start, and the device just doesn't seem to be the right place to say them.] ...Where are you?

[Video, Private]

[reckless_eagle]

[Poland switches it to video, for the sake of giving Liet his "I'm fine! Everything's fine! Don't be worried about me!" smile. You know, the one that's just a bit forced and only comes out when there's a reason to be worried about him.]

I'm like, in the woods. Why? Is something up? I was just walking, so I can come home anytime, it's no big...

[Video, Private]

[watchful_knight]

[The one that Liet knows and won't buy?]

I can come out there, too. Let's meet by the strawberry patch? I'll bring a little basket.

[thinkin_man]

You're not human?

[watchful_knight]

I'm a nation.

[thinkin_man]

I don't follow.

[watchful_knight]

I ...am a people, and soil, and me. We live much longer than humans. ...there are other differences, too.

[trinityaffinity]

But people don't have to be related by blood to be family! You just have to care about each other a lot!

[watchful_knight]

It's different, thhough. Friends can't carry on your blood.

[trinityaffinity]

Is blood important?

[watchful_knight]

It is one's legacy to the world.