Deviņi ● Action

[balzams]

●　Action ; Morning June 23^rd ; 7133 Brooks Lane

[Today Latvia does his best to prepare for the evening. While he normally likes to take things easy and pass the work off to someone else, right now he seems very adamant about doing the work himself. During the day you can find him at his house in Brooks Lane, decorating the lower half of the building with all manner of branches and leaves. Rowan, Oak, Holly… He would decorate the upper section of the house too but he doesn’t trust the ladder he found and if anything were to happen to him before the evening, that would be pretty disastrous]

●　Action ; Evening June 23^rd ; Make-out point

[If you come up to make-out point tonight you’ll find a small bonfire roaring away. Nearby there are bottles of beer and cheese laid out, although it seems that a lot of space has been left for people to bring their own food. In the middle of it all stands Latvia, wearing what appears to be some kind of folk costume. A black had with a coloured band, a long grey coat and trousers that are tucked into his socks, a brown waistcoat and finished off with a bright red ribbon tied around his neck]

Labvakar! Laipni lūdzam!


●　Action ; June 24^th ; Around town

[A little light headed and a little unsteady on his feet Latvia makes his way home after the night. Only wearing his trousers and his shoes, the rest of his clothes are carried under his arm. Even though he looks a little burnt out he seems happy nonetheless]

Comments

Around town

[balaton]

[It's a smiling Latvia. Sure, Hungary's not a stranger to a drunk Latvia or an out of it Latvia, but this is new.

She slows her motorbike to a halt, wavering between letting the poor guy be or saying hello. Accidentally, the engine roars a bit too noisily when she gets near.]

[balzams]

[He drops the clothes he was carrying in surprise. Gathering them back up into his arms his smile seems to brighten as he spots her]

Ah, Miss Hungary! I didn't realise you were here.

[balaton]

It's dark enough.

It looks like you've been having too much fun tonight.

[balzams]

Heh, well not as much fun as I could have had. In the end it was pretty quiet.

[balaton]

[She's ready to crack a joke, but what he says strikes her as somewhat sad, so she doesn't, digging her heels into the dirt, instead.] I know it's late, but up for company?

[balzams]

[What time was it? It had been a while since the sun rose but he wasn't quite sure how long]

I guess so. I was just heading home anyway, I should probably get some sleep before before I just drop where I stand.

[balaton]

Can't have you doing that in the middle of the street. [She takes the helmet off, holding out to Latvia as she keeps her bike steady] Hop on. It'll be much faster.

[balzams]

Really? Are you sure?

[He's not sure he feels confident around motorbikes. He'd probably jinx it]

[balaton]

You can't be worse than mister Austria on a bike. [The older Austria, at least. His younger self is too enamored of moving objects.]

I promise to go slow.

[balzams]

Uhm...

[He stuff his socks into his pockets and quickly dons the waistcoat, tying the shirt around his waist and the coat around his shoulders so his arms are free once again. After that he does his best to scramble onto the back]

Okay, I'm ready.

[balaton]

Don't forget the helmet, dear. [Otherwise explaining to Lithuania why his little brother's brains was all over the sidewalk wouldn't be too pretty.]

[balzams]

Ah! Right!

[Good thing he has someone to remind him not to be so careless. He pushes it onto his head without much trouble]

Uh... should I...?

[balaton]

[She gives a short laugh, bundling her hair over one shoulder so it wouldn't fly all over Latvia's face.] Right. You better hold on tight. I won't be offended.

[balzams]

[After much hesitation he eventually wraps his arms around her waist]

I-is that okay?

[balaton]

No. [It's no wonder, having to live in the same house as Belarus for a long time...] You need to hold on harder. I don't want you falling off and-- Never mind. Just hold on tight!

[balzams]

[Reluctantly he holds on tighter, feeling like he's overstepping so many boundaries]

[balaton]

Here we go! [The engine roars to life, and Hungary hardly gives her passenger time to change his mind as they initially speed down the road, slowing down to a consistent pace only after passing a few blocks.]

[balzams]

[There's a shrill yell and Latvia clings on for dear life]

I thought you said you'd go slowly!

[balaton]

I can't go too slowly at first! [She yells over the wind whipping their faces] We'd fall sideways!

[balzams]

[As they seem to slow a little Latvia relaxes, having finally gotten used to the sensation]

You could have warned me at least!

[balaton]

Then you would have been reluctant to hold on at all.

See? It all worked out.

[balzams]

It's still not nice to trick people like that!

[balaton]

Sometimes you have to do what you have to do.

I don't think I've ever been to your house here.

[balzams]

Well, it's not like we met here before today. I didn't realise, how long have you been in this town?

[balaton]

Two years this month. [They round a curve, with no car sights in this lonely hour.] It's insane, isn't it? Sometimes I keep forgetting I've been here this long.

[balzams]

W-woah... really?

[He clings a little tighter for the curve in fear of falling off but loosens his grip again once they're back on straight road]

Even Lithuania and Estonia have only been here for a year... Have you met them here too?

[balaton]

That I did, and Poland, too! Estonia was just showing me those weird pets of his the other day.

[They're approaching the residential area, with its neat fenced houses and rows of mowed lawns.] What street do you live on, sweetie?

[balzams]

I live down Brooks Lane. I don't think it's too far.

Action: June 23rd, 7133 Brooks Lane

[forgotten_titan]

[Knock knock knock Latvia, someone's here as she promised. Terra's brought fruit juice, but she has no idea what else people eat or drink during a Latvian festival so to play things safe, she brought some fruits from the grocers. Bananas, but it was one of the only things she could afford with her measly part-time salary.]

7133 Brooks Lane

[balzams]

[Latvia finishes attaching the branches to the window frame at the back of the house and hurries round to the front of the building]

Ah, hello. Were you one of the girls I spoke to over the phone?

[forgotten_titan]

Yeah, I'm Terra! You're...Ravis, right?

[She smiled and showed him the grocery bag she was carrying.]

I wasn't too sure what to bring for the party, but I brought bananas and apple juice, if that's ok with you.

[balzams]

That's right, it's nice to meet you.

[He holds out his hand for a handshake]

Oh! That's be okay. Beer and caraway cheese are eaten traditionally but these days people tend to bring all kinds of things. Thank-you, I really appreciate it.

[forgotten_titan]

Phew! That's a relief, because it would've been totally awkward if there was a rule against having stuff outside the festival.

[Balancing the bag of groceries in one arm, she gives him a handshake.]

Happy Yah-nie then!

[balzams]

Even if there was I could have just kept it for later.

And a happy Jāņi to you too. Will you be coming to for the night-time celebrations?

[forgotten_titan]

Yeah I am. But I might have to head home at 11, if that's ok with you. The mom in my house would get on my case if I didn't.

I like the leaves you put around your house by the way. It looks really cool, almost like a fairytale house. Do you need more help with them?

[balzams]

I guess that's okay. Normally people stay up all night to greet the sun but I understand it can be a little inconvenient, especially for people who don't normally celebrate it.

[Somehow he feels a little off put by the comparison]

Uh... well they're actually to ward off bad spirits. I'm okay though, I'm almost done with them anyway.

[forgotten_titan]

Bad spirits?

[She didn't notice his discomfort, but she is curious by the leaves. She walks over and touches one of the leaves.]

That sounds like a great idea, especially here in Mayfield. Do you have a lot of bad spirits in Latvian culture?

[balzams]

There are a few but I don't know that people beleive in them so much in this day and age. Jāņi is said to be the time that the border between the living world and the spirit world is at it's thinnest though.

[forgotten_titan]

And you got different sorta leaves there too, huh? Do they all chase away different types of spirits?

[balzams]

Not really...

The decorations have actually changed over the years. It used to be just thorns and rowan branches but these days people use all kinds of things.