Virginia wanted nothing to do with her other father. America got tired of trying to talk her into speaking with England, but once he left (taking New Netherland), his daughter followed anyway.
"Curiosity getting to you?" he asked, after realizing she was coming after all.
Her expression twisted into deeper grumpiness, and Virginia refused to speak. This was where America would ordinarily make a sarcastic remark about her not trusting him with the baby, but Virginia had every right to be mad--he'd told her he was kicking England out and now had gone back on his word. Better to leave her alone. She might warm up to the country after all of them got the answers they'd been wanting.
England had moved from the front of the house. America found him in the drawing room, not a room the colony used (he'd only even entered it in the last decade because he'd felt an unbearable need to clean it during one of his nesting episodes). The drawing room had nice wallpaper and rugs and America didn't want to take the chance of damaging anything in there, so he stayed out. It wasn't an interesting room and it was too formal for his personal comfort; England used it when he had official visitors over, or sometimes when other countries visited him.
They were all seated and America was expecting England to say something--anything--to Virginia, when England instead said, "I was thinking this business over and I can't say for certain, but I might know why--"
"Don't you have something to say to Virginia?" America interrupted. He wanted answers, but first he wanted his child to get the apology she was owed.
"I don't want him talking to me," Virginia objected. She looked so cranky that some of America's hostility lifted; when ill-tempered, Virginia resembled England remarkably. It made chastising her a struggle.
England faced Virginia, who huffily ignored him. He took in the features she had which matched his (eyes, eyebrows, facial shape), the clothes she wore that were stylish and well-maintained (unlike America's clothes), while her hair--the same color as America's--was brushed but otherwise left alone. "I'm sorry I haven't been around," England said. "I didn't know about you, and I'm not saying that in excuse, it was that I've had so many places I have to be that I didn't give your...father...the attention he deserved."
America was too insulted by the pause before England called him Virginia's father to note England was apologizing for the wrong offense. "You're not thinking of me as her mother, are you? I'm not a girl. You should know, even if we only once--"
"America, that is not an appropriate subject to speak of in front of a child!"
"Oh, and you were being appropriate before?"
"Why is he still here?" Virginia yelled, drowning out the voices of both her parents. Addressing America, she snapped, "He wants you dead! Make him go away!"
The baby woke up and looked irritated by the noise. America cradled his son, hoping he wouldn't start crying, and looked to England. "What you said? Your problem to deal with."
Trying to be patient, England said carefully, "I did not wish America dead."
Virginia wasn't letting it go. "Then why did you say what you did?"
"It was a lot to come back to. I wasn't expecting any of this. I...reacted badly."
"Reacted badly?" America echoed, unimpressed. He started unbuttoning his shirt.
"What are you doing, America?"
America stopped, surprised by England's sharpness. "What does it look like? Holding the baby, shirt opening, you can't figure it out for yourself?" He went back to undoing the buttons, then held New Netherland closer.
"Go do that somewhere else!"
There was an odd amusement to be had in his guardian choosing to be hung up over this, of all things, but America only got a few seconds of diversion; once New Netherland latched onto him, America was biting his lips at the tightness and prickling pain that started.
"New Netherland cries when he's hungry," Virginia abrasively informed England. "I doubt you'd be bothered, making a defenseless baby cry, but if you can't handle the sight of him eating, you can always go to another room yourself. It's not your home, that would be the polite thing to do."
All is Not As it Seems - 7a
"Curiosity getting to you?" he asked, after realizing she was coming after all.
Her expression twisted into deeper grumpiness, and Virginia refused to speak. This was where America would ordinarily make a sarcastic remark about her not trusting him with the baby, but Virginia had every right to be mad--he'd told her he was kicking England out and now had gone back on his word. Better to leave her alone. She might warm up to the country after all of them got the answers they'd been wanting.
England had moved from the front of the house. America found him in the drawing room, not a room the colony used (he'd only even entered it in the last decade because he'd felt an unbearable need to clean it during one of his nesting episodes). The drawing room had nice wallpaper and rugs and America didn't want to take the chance of damaging anything in there, so he stayed out. It wasn't an interesting room and it was too formal for his personal comfort; England used it when he had official visitors over, or sometimes when other countries visited him.
They were all seated and America was expecting England to say something--anything--to Virginia, when England instead said, "I was thinking this business over and I can't say for certain, but I might know why--"
"Don't you have something to say to Virginia?" America interrupted. He wanted answers, but first he wanted his child to get the apology she was owed.
"I don't want him talking to me," Virginia objected. She looked so cranky that some of America's hostility lifted; when ill-tempered, Virginia resembled England remarkably. It made chastising her a struggle.
England faced Virginia, who huffily ignored him. He took in the features she had which matched his (eyes, eyebrows, facial shape), the clothes she wore that were stylish and well-maintained (unlike America's clothes), while her hair--the same color as America's--was brushed but otherwise left alone. "I'm sorry I haven't been around," England said. "I didn't know about you, and I'm not saying that in excuse, it was that I've had so many places I have to be that I didn't give your...father...the attention he deserved."
America was too insulted by the pause before England called him Virginia's father to note England was apologizing for the wrong offense. "You're not thinking of me as her mother, are you? I'm not a girl. You should know, even if we only once--"
"America, that is not an appropriate subject to speak of in front of a child!"
"Oh, and you were being appropriate before?"
"Why is he still here?" Virginia yelled, drowning out the voices of both her parents. Addressing America, she snapped, "He wants you dead! Make him go away!"
The baby woke up and looked irritated by the noise. America cradled his son, hoping he wouldn't start crying, and looked to England. "What you said? Your problem to deal with."
Trying to be patient, England said carefully, "I did not wish America dead."
Virginia wasn't letting it go. "Then why did you say what you did?"
"It was a lot to come back to. I wasn't expecting any of this. I...reacted badly."
"Reacted badly?" America echoed, unimpressed. He started unbuttoning his shirt.
"What are you doing, America?"
America stopped, surprised by England's sharpness. "What does it look like? Holding the baby, shirt opening, you can't figure it out for yourself?" He went back to undoing the buttons, then held New Netherland closer.
"Go do that somewhere else!"
There was an odd amusement to be had in his guardian choosing to be hung up over this, of all things, but America only got a few seconds of diversion; once New Netherland latched onto him, America was biting his lips at the tightness and prickling pain that started.
"New Netherland cries when he's hungry," Virginia abrasively informed England. "I doubt you'd be bothered, making a defenseless baby cry, but if you can't handle the sight of him eating, you can always go to another room yourself. It's not your home, that would be the polite thing to do."